USACBI encourages all organizations in the Palestine solidarity and social justice movements to endorse the following statement condemning the so-called “Boycott Law” passed by the Israeli Knesset seeking to ban Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
Please also see the following statements by:
Sign on Below!
On Monday, 11 July 2011, the Israeli Knesset passed new legislation outlawing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement[i]; a non-partisan grassroots initiative that seeks to pressure Israel to comply with international law and recognize fundamental Palestinian rights.
The bill bans all advocacy and action to boycott any Israeli companies, within Israel and the occupied Palestinian West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem[ii]. Furthermore, any company can be awarded compensation without even having to prove direct damage. The law is so broad that it could potentially be used not only against citizens of Israel, but also against Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. The legislation leaves Palestinian and Israeli solidarity groups who promote the boycott of any Israeli company liable to be sued and the vagueness of the bill opens all activists to arbitrary persecution.
We, Palestine solidarity and social justice groups based in the United States, reiterate our support and endorsement of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement. We stand by our friends who will be legally subject to this draconian bill, which seeks to further deligitimize the non-violent struggle against Israeli apartheid.
This latest escalation in Israeli repression tactics aims to stifle the BDS movement. The call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, endorsed by over 170 Palestinian civil society groups in 2005[iii], has been adopted by hundreds of solidarity organizations worldwide that seek to put pressure on Israel until it complies with international law.
Not only do Palestinian and Israeli groups actively organize campaigns within Israel and occupied Palestine; but projects like Who Profits?[iv] also educate the international community by researching the true dealings of Israeli companies and enable many campaigns in the justice for Palestine movement.
This bill follows upon the ‘Nakba law”, which defunded any institution that acknowledged the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948. Such repressive legislation particularly targets Palestinians inside Israel, who are already subject to apartheid and extensive institutionalized racism as well as political persecution.
Israel has maintained such discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel, alongside its illegal siege of Gaza, its brutal military occupation of the West Bank, its de facto annexation of East Jerusalem, its ongoing denial of the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees and its policies of ethnic cleansing since before 1948.
Additionally, Israel recently suppressed other non-violent initiatives; pressuring foreign governments to obstruct the Freedom Flotilla II[v], which was organized to challenge the illegal blockade and siege of the Gaza Strip and the “Flytilla” which brought to light that Palestinians cannot even receive visitors[vi].
The global BDS Movement will not be stopped, intimidated or harmed by this latest Israeli attempt to repress the legitimate struggle for Palestinian rights. We will heed the Palestinian call to escalate our BDS campaigns. We stand side by side with our sisters and brothers in this struggle for rights and justice.
Organizational Endorsers – Sign on Here!
Sign on Here!
Sign here to add your name to USACBI's open letter to Pharrell Williams.
Individual Endorsers
Abby Lippmann, Canada
Adam Estle
Adam Sabra, Athens, GA
Adrienne Shaw, Canad
Ahlam Mohsen, USA
Ahmad Malkawi, Lexington, KY
Aileen Sander
Ali Hasan
Ali Mili, Phillipsburg, NJ
Alisa Klein, Leeds, MA
Allan Christensen, Italy
Amanda Lashaw, UC Berkeley
Amanda Maystead, San Francisco, CA
Amira Jarmakani, Atlanta, GA
Amr ElNagdi, Cairo, Egypt
An Peeters
Andrew Kennedy
Andrew Paul Gutierrez, Kensington, CA
Andy Thayer, Gay Liberation Network, Chicago, IL
Ania Loomba, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Anita Shenkman, NM
Anjali Arondekar, Los Angeles, CA
Anne Beckett, Austin, TX
Anne G. Woodhead, Frankfort, KY
Annette Jacobson
Ans Jansen-Meurs, the Netherlands
Anthony Alessandrini, Brooklyn, NY
Anthony Arnove, Brooklyn, NY
Anthony Ashbolt, Wollongong, Australia
Anton Shammas, Michigan
Antonella Puglisi, Brisbane, Australia
Ari Cowan, San Francisco, CA
Aya Shanaa, Boston, MA
Ayesha Akbar, Austin, TX
Ayesha Gill, Oakland, CA
Azalia Torres, NY
Bama Brand, Cincinnati, OH
Barbara Aswad, Claremont, CA
Barbara Walker, New York
Ben Epstein, New Orleans, LA
Benjamin Hunt, Washington, DC
Bill Perry, Delaware Valley Veterans for America
Bill Perry, Levittown, PA
Bill Ramsey, St. Louis, MO
Binnie Kristal-Andersson, Stockholm, Sweden
Bobbie Dee Flowers
Brandon Wade
Brooke Prim
Bruce Malina, Omaha, NE
Bryan Saario, Seattle, WA
Burton Steck, Chicago, IL
C. Heike Schotten, Boston, MA
Carol Murry, Honolulu, HI
Caroline Kittrell, California
Caryll Faraldi, Cairo, Egypt
Cecelia Lavan, New Rochelle, NY
Cerine Kattoura, Lebanon
Chandra Mohanty
Charles Haragely, Burlington, VT
Charlotte Kates, Vancouver, BC
Cheryl Rubenberg, Florida
Chiara Caferri, Rome, Italy
Chris and Mary Fogarty, Chicago, IL
Chris Chase, Harrisburg, PA
Chris McCabe, Cambridge, UK
Christopher Collom, Boulder, CO
Colin Dayan, Vanderbilt
Colin Tate, Dartford, UK
Corinne Willinger, New York, NY
Courtney Carter, Frederick, MD 21701
Cynthia Franklin
Cynthia Franklin, Honolulu, HI
Cynthia High, Monrovia, CA
Daniel Kleinman, New York, NY
Danny Buckley, Dunedin, FL
Darren Osland, Melbourne, Australia
David Atwood
David B. Maynard, Thonotosassa, FL
David Bach
David Bliven, Bronx, NY
David Gabriel, Richmond, IN
David Laibman, Brooklyn, NY
David Letwin, Brooklyn, NY
David Lloyd, Los Angeles, CA
David R. Evans, Vancouver, WA
David Roediger, Urbana, IL
David Szanton, Berkeley, CA
Debra Stoleroff, Plainfield, VT
Dennis Kalob, Henniker, NH
Dennis Kortheuer, Long Beach, California
Dennis Spence
Desiree Fairooz, Arlington, VA
Devra Morice
Diana Shanaa, Boston, MA
Diane Fentress, Albuquerque, NM
Diane Shammas, PhD, Laguna Beach, CA
Diane V. McLoughlin
Dina Elmuti
Don Bustany, KPFK Radio/Middle East in Focus, Studio City, CA
Donna M. Joss, Bridgton, ME
Donna Nassor, New York, US
Donna Wallach, San Jose, CA
Dorice Tentchoff, Gibsons, Canada
Doug Singsen, Brooklyn, NY
Doug Terpstra
Doug Willbanks, Beaverton, OR
Dr. Johnny E. Williams, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
Dr. June Terpstra
Dr. Sam Noumoff
Eithne Cunningham, California
Eldon Grossman, Chicago, IL
Elena Bellini, Padova, Italy
Elena Gaetti
Elizabeth L. Adams, Leverett, MA
Emily Alma, Chico, US
Emily Grosvenor, Seattle, WA
Emma Rosenthal, Los Angeles, CA
Erin Wade, Seattle, WA
Essa Gazaleh
Ethan Boyles, Port Townsend, US
Eva Novakova, Prague, Czech Republic
Farah Rowaysati, Modesto, CA
Fatima Mansour, Chicago, IL
Fiachra Kelly McElroy, Derry, Ireland
Fidaa Elaydi, Southern Methodist University, TX
Fiona Bateson, Canada
Florence Hughes, Cockeysville, MD
Francis Sarguis, Santa Barbara, CA
Frigga Karl, Vienna, Austria
G. Kortes, Vancouver, WA
Gale Courey Toensing, Canaan, Falls Village, CT
Garrett Wright, Brooklyn, NY
George S. Davies, Unite the Union, Darwen, England
George Salem, Santa Monica, CA
Georgette Ioup, New Orleans, LA
Georgia Guida, Brooklyn, NY
Ghinwa Al-Hamdan, Beirut, Lebanon
Gillian Hart
Gloria Bletter, New York
Guy Benintendi, US
Hacha C Norris, North Carolina
Hagit Borer, Los Angeles, CA
Haifa Bishara, California, US
Haneen Odeh, Arizona
Hanin Bearat, USA
Hedy Epstein, St. Louis, MO
Henry Lowi, Toronto, Canada
Henry Norr, Berkeley, CA
Hiba Al-Ali, Montreal
Hilda Dunn, New York
Hinde Oudaha, Kortrijk, Belgium
Hooshidar Daragahi, Chicago, IL
Husam Khalil
Hussein Mohamed Hussein, Staten Island, NY
Huwaida Arraf, New York, NY
Ian Farooque, Toronto, ON, Canada
Ibrahim Shikaki, Jerusalem, Palestine
Irving Weinman
Jack Traver, Los Angeles, CA
Jackie Wolf, Lopez Island, WA
James Faris, Santa Fe, NM
James Hoff, New York, NY
James Kellenberger, Northridge, CA
James Marc Leas, South Burlington, VT
James Strohl
James Tate, Brooklyn, NY
Jamila Hammami, New York, NY
Jason Craig
Jean Tepperman, Berkeley, CA
Jeff Hunziker, Peoria, IL
Jeffery McClain, Brooklyn, NY
Jeffrey Stein, Illinois
Jenny Heinz, New York, NY
Jerry Harris, Chicago, IL
Jessica Zinelli, Parma, Italy
Jill Manske, Michigan, USA
Joan Botwinick, University City, MO
Joan Botwinick, University City, MO
Joan Sessions, Chicago, IL
JoAnne Bauer
Jodie Beck
Jody Melamed, Milwaukee, WI
Joe Catron, Gaza, Palestine
Joe Walker, East Grand Rapids, MI
Joe Walsh, Portland, OR
John Rukab
John Snowdon, Gateshead, UK
John Surdyk, Lyons, IL
John T. Nichols, Portland, ME
John Tyrell, Birmingham, UK
Jonathan Golijov, Massachussetts
Joop Jansen, the Netherlands
Jose Palazon
Joseph Newman, Albuquerque, NM
Joseph Shahadi, Brooklyn, NY
Josh Yasteya, NM
Juan Carlos Vallejo, Vermont, USA
Judy Greenspan, Berkeley, CA
Jules Townshend
Julie Gallagher, Media, PA
Kamal Hassan, Grants Pass, OR
Kamala Visweswaran, Austin, TX
Kamran Ghasri, Los Angeles, CA
Karen Clinkscales, Brighton, UK
Karin Pally, Santa Monica, CA
Kathleen Jamaa, Maidstone, UK
Kathy Haq, Tyne and Wear, UK
Katie Pieroni, UK
Katie Pieroni, UK
Kay Osatenko, Vernon, BC
Kazen Alamdari, Chatsworth, CA
Keith Koch, USA
Ken Baker, UK
Ken Duret, Santa Cruz, CA
Kenneth W Johnson
Khalil Shaheen, Ramallah, Palestine
Kipp Dawson, Pittsburgh, PA
Lama Dalbah, Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi
Lana Turner, Zurrieq, Malta
Larry Wang, NM
Laura Warren, Santa Fe, NM
Laurence Kirby, Woodstock, NY
Lawrence Davidson, West Chester, PA
Lawrence R Hamilton, Chicago, IL
Leela Yellesetty, Seattle, WA
Lenni Brenner, New York, NY
Les Field, Albuquerque, NM
Les Nyulak, Vancouver, BC
Leslie Angeline, San Francisco, CA
Liam Manjon, Madison, WI
Lilian Royal
Linda Clair, Greater Manchester, England
Linda Jansen, Seattle, WA
Liz Preni, London, UK
Lou Kipnis, Santa Fe, NM
Lucia Quaresma, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Lucy Burns, Los Angeles, CA
Lynn Walker, Greensboro, NC
Magid Shihade, Ramallah, Palestine
Mahamood M Hassan, Placentia, CA
Mares and Chuck Hirchert, Hartland
Margaret Leicester, Albuquerque, NM
Maria Marallo
Mariah Leung, Eugene, OR
Marian Larsen
Marilyn Hacker, New York, NY
Marina Kun, Ottawa, ON
Marisa Conte, Rome, Italy
Mark E. Smith, San Diego, CA
Mark Kerrison, UK
Mark Weinberg, Open U of the Left, Chicago, IL
Martin Jerisat, Chicago, IL
Mary Izett, Lafayette, KY
Mary Singaus, Los Angeles, CA
Mary-Jo Nadeau, Faculty for Palestine, Toronto, Canada
Matthew Graber, Philadelphia, PA
Matthew Presto, Brooklyn, NY
Maureen Nelson, Santa Fe, NM
May Daoudi
Mehmet Murat Sahin, Karaman, Turkey
Merle Lefkoff, Santa Fe, NM
Michael Letwin, New York, NY
Michael Levin, Chicago, IL
Michael Napp, Modesto, CA
Michael Rukab
Michael S. Shepard, Dallas, TX
Michaelan Martin, Florida, USA
Michelle Cardenas, Wayne, NJ
Mike Cushman, London, UK
Mike Marqusee, London, UK
Mohamed Alcodray, Dearborn, MI
Mona Baker, UK
Monadel Herzallah, Fairfield, California
Mya Guarnieri, Tel Aviv, Israel
Myriam Chancy
Nada Noor
Nadine Brennan, Santa Cruz, CA
Naim Kozi, Brooklyn, NY
Najat Rahman, Montreal, QC
Nan Withington, Santa Barbara, CA
Naomi G. Harrison, Another Jewish Voice Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Naomi G. Harrison, Santa Fe, NM
Negar Modgeddi
Nihaya Qawasmi, Brooklyn, NY
Noah De Lissovoy, Austin, TX
Noha Arafa, Brooklyn, NY
Nona Bachvi, Jakarta, Indonesia
Nour Salman, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Nuha Abu
Nydia Leaf, New York, NY
Oliver Butenuth
Omar Bakir, Chandler, AZ
Omar M. Jawhar
Omar Mahdawi, New York
Paki Wieland
Pam Hardyment, Twickenham, UK
Paul Boulton-Bland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Paul Huffman, Tempe, AZ
Pauline Reed
Penny Dellow, UK
Peter Gunthar
Peter Klosterman, Oakland, CA
Peter Sporn, Chicago, IL
Phil Gasper, Madison, WI
Pol Wirtz, Luxembourg
Premilla Nadasen, New York, NY
Raffaella Del Deo, Cuggiono, Milan
Rania Kasi
Ranya Hasan, Philadelphia, PA
Raya Fidel
Rayleen Nunez, Boston, MA
Rebecca Fadil
Rebecca Vaughan, New York, NY
Reem Naser, Dallas, TX
Regina Carey, San Rafael, CA
Remi Kanazi, PoeticInjustice.net
Ricardo Lopez, Lima, Peru
Richard Blum, Brooklyn, NY
Richard Forer, Albuquerque, NM
Richard Hudson, FBA, London
Robby Martin, Dublin, Ireland
Robert Beckmann, Seattle, WA
Robert Trivers, New Brunswick, NJ
Robert Warrior, Champaign, IL
Roberta J. Silver, New York, NY
Robin D. G. Kelley
Robin Gee
Romi Elnagar, Baton Rouge, LA
Ronnie Novak, Vancouver, BC
Rosaura Sanchez, La Jolla, CA
Roshni Rustomji, California
Roya Irani, US
Rupa Shah
Russell Bates, Berkeley, CA
Ryan Branagan, Pittsburgh
Ryan Branagan, Pittsburgh, PA
Sabina Becker, Canada
Sabina England, Punks Against Apartheid
Safa Elshanshory
Saffo Papantonopolou, Denver, CO
Sainatee Suarez, Philadelphia, PA
Sally-Alice Thompson
Sam Bernstein, Seattle, WA
Sam Campbell, Manchester, UK
Sam Romero, New Brunswick, NJ
Samah Selim, New York, NY
Samia van Hattum, St. Louis, MO
Samir Obeidallah, Bowie, MD
Sana Javed, Washington, DC
Sandra Budak, New Zealand
Sandra O”Neill
Sarah Alfadda, Austin, TX
Sarah Blaskey, Madison, WI
Sarah Shedeed, USA
Scott Campbell, Prescott, AZ
Scott Girvan, MA
Seleem Sayyar
Shaina Adams-El Guabli
Shakeerah Abdul al Sabuur, Penndel, PA
Sherna Berger Gluck, Israel Divestment Campaign, California US
Sherry Wolf, Brooklyn, NY
Shireen Hijaz
Shireen Khazeni, Salt Lake City, UT
Spencer Cawley, USA
Stan Serafin, Corrales, NM
Stephen Cheng
Stephen Sheehi, South Carolina
Steve Breyman, Hudson, NY
Steve Leigh, Seattle, WA
Steven Fake, New Orleans, LA
Steven Gotzler, Philadelphia, PA
Susan Pashkoff, UK
Susan Pelican, Woodland, CA
Suzana Otten, Prague, Czech Republic
Suzanne Weber Ross, New York, NY
Tabitha Paine, Cape Town, South Africa
Terri Ginsberg, New York, NY
Thaer Taye, Cleveland, OH
Theodore Nace
Tina Musa, Rochester, NY
Tomis Kapitan, DeKalb, IL
Uda Walker, San Francisco, CA
Valori George
Veronica Ramadan, New York, NY
Vidya Kesevan
Vijay Prashad
Walid Amer, MENAS, Ramallah, Palestine
Wes Grosslein, Minneapolis, MN
Wolodymyr Smishkewych, Limerick, Ireland
Yasir M. Tineh, Halifax, NS
Zaheerhal Aleem, Atlanta, GA
Zahra Pilavdzic
