Sixteen organisations from around the world, all supporting the academic and cultural boycott of Israel, have written a letter condemning the Israeli government’s harassment of the co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement Omar Barghouti. The letter is being sent to the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States.
27 May 2016
To the Secretaries of State and Ministers of Foreign Affairs:
Susan Malcorra, Argentina
The Hon. Julie Bishop, Australia
Didier Reynders, Belgium
Stephane Dion, Canada
Jean-Marc Ayrault, France
Sushma Swaraj, India
Charles Flanagan TD, Ireland
Paolo Gentiloni, Italy
Børge Brende, Norway
Syed Tariq Fatemi, Pakistan
Margot Wallström, Sweden
The Right Hon Phillip Hammond, MP, UK
John Kerry, USA
Federica Mogherini, High Representative, European Union
Dear Minister/Secretary of State
We are writing to you, and those holding comparable office in other countries, to protest an extraordinary move by the Israeli government against one of the key figures in the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. This is the imposition of an effective travel ban on BDS movement co-founder Omar Barghouti. This repressive move is being widely seen as a step towards revoking his residency rights, as Israeli ministers threatened a few weeks ago.
The signatories of this letter represent societies round the world which promote the academic and cultural boycott of Israeli institutions. This entirely non-violent strategy is proving to be highly effective in bringing pressure to bear on an Israeli regime which has repeatedly refused to end its colonisation, illegal occupation and racially discriminatory and repressive policies, and to respect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian People accorded by international law and human rights conventions. Omar Barghouti is a founder member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI); and he is also co-founder of the global boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, and among its most articulate leaders.
BDS is an international movement, as the presence of our signatures to this letter demonstrates. It aims to convince our fellow citizens and governments to put effective pressure on Israel to end its colonisation, and to respect international law and all UN resolutions. Omar Barghouti has travelled the world tirelessly to help bring this about. Israel is now striking against what is a mass movement of the world’s civil society, and openly flouting the principles of free speech. This action against Barghouti is part of an intensifying, indeed alarming, policy of intimidation, censorship, and harassment against human rights workers that has drawn condemnation from international rights groups such as Amnesty International.
Chillingly, Israel’s Intelligence Minister Israel Katz recently called for the “targeted civil elimination” (sikul ezrahi memukad) of BDS leaders such as Barghouti. ‘Targeted elimination’ is the euphemistic Hebrew phrase for targeted assassinations. The ambiguity of Katz’s phrase hangs in the air.
We call on you to use the power and influence that resides in your office to impress on the Israeli government the absolute necessity of ceasing its repressive measures against Palestine’s civil leaders, and in particular to permit Omar Barghouti to play his full role, both inside Israel and without, in representing the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Yours sincerely
(signed)
David Comedi, Coordinator, Academic BDS, Argentina
Jake Lynch, Spokesperson, Sydney Staff for BDS, Australia
Herman De Ley, Committee Member, Belgian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BACBI), Belgium
Alan Sears, President, Faculty for Palestine, Canada
Organizing Committee, College and University Workers United (CUWU), Canada
Ivar Ekeland, President, Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP), France
Githa Hariharan, Convenor, Indian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (InCACBI), India
Ronit Lentin, Chair, Academics for Palestine, Ireland
Organizing Committee, Stop Technion Campaign, Italy
Øystein Grønning, Acting President, Akademisk og Kulturell Boikott av Staten Israel (AKULBI), Norway
Amanullah Kariapper, Coordinator, Pakistanis for Palestine, Pakistan
Jan-Erik Gustafsson, Committee member, Action Group at KTH för Boycott of Israel (PSABI), Sweden
Jonathan Rosenhead, Chair, British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), UK
Hilary Westlake, Chair, Artists for Palestine, UK
Abe Hayeem, RIBA, Chair, Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, UK
Sunaina Maira, Organizing Collective Member and Cofounder, US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI), USA