supplemental information & letters of...

Supplemental Information

& Letters of Support

For A Resolution to Divest from Companies Profiting from

Violations of International Law and Human Rights

ASUW 2014

Updated May 1, 2014

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A Resolution to Divest ASUW 2014

This information booklet is designed to accompany the

Resolution R-20-39, submitted to the Associated Students

of the University of Washington in April 2014.

Compiled by SUPER UW.

www.superuw.org

In the spirit of transparency, ethical investment, a belief in human rights and the power and responsibility of students and educational institutions to affect real

change, students of conscience present this resolution.

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Table of Contents

History of Social Responsibility .................................. 4

Our Divestment Criteria .............................................. 5

Companies Recommended for Divestment ................ 6

Caterpillar, Northrop Grumman, Hewlett Packard, Motorola Solutions, G4S, Elbit Systems, Veolia Environnement

Letters of Support and Endorsements ........................ 10

Including Local, National, and International Support, and Endorsements of Divestment by Public Figures

Petition in Support of Ethical Divestment ................... 62

As of May 1, 2014: 536 signatures of UW faculty, students, and community members in support of Resolution R-20-39

Resolution .................................................................. 63

Registered Student Organizations at the University of Washington that endorse Resolution R-20-39:

- D.A.S.A. (Disability Advocacy Students Alliance)

- Disorientation UW

- ISO (International Socialist Organization)

- MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan)

- 3WF (Third Wave Feminists)

- Solidarity with UW Custodians

- UW Black Student Union

- USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops)

- SSA (Somali Student Association)

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The University of Washington’s vision states:

“We are compassionate and committed to the

active pursuit of global engagement and

connectedness;We embrace our role to

foster engaged and responsible citizenship as

part of the learning experience of our

students, faculty and staff.”

History of Social Responsibility

The University of Washington takes pride in a history of student activism against injustice, including divesting from South African Apartheid and genocide in Sudan.

The Resolution to Divest From Companies Profiting From Violations of International

Law and Human Rights aligns with the University of Washington’s tradition and

vision of social responsibility.

The Associated Students of the University of Washington passed resolution R-18-19 stating:

“THAT, the ASUW solely supports the investment

of university money in firms that are socially

responsible; and THAT, the ASUW take steps to

create a position or committee that will work with

the UW Treasury office to make recommendations

on socially responsible investment activity.”

ASUW Resolution R-18-19, 2012 http://depts.washington.edu/asuwsen/aero/legislations/view/656

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Our Divestment Criteria

In the past many have worried about divestment unlawfully interfering

with the discretionary powers of fund trustees to manage the invest-

ments in their care. While of course it is possible to draft a resolution

urging for divestment in terms that would interfere with the discretionary

authority of fund trustees, this resolution very clearly does not make this

mistake.

This resolution expressly asks that fund trustees be in-

structed to divest from targeted companies "within

the bounds of their fiduciary duties."

This means divestment happens in feasible ways, on time frames that

allow the stable transfer of funds to socially responsible investment

options that will yield an equivalent amount of returns to the institution.

Avenues of university social justice are

not mutually exclusive — student scholar-

ships are not sacrificed when the UW has

a more ethical investment strategy for its

endowment.

UW students have already begun to

meet with the UW Treasury Department

about these issues.

Divestment and socially responsible investment

does not stand in the way of university profits and

the ability of our institution to provide for its students

and staff.

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Caterpillar knowingly sells bulldozers specifically designed for the Israeli

Army that are armored and weaponized by the company’s sole representa-

tive in Israel and are systematically used in the demolition of Palestinian

The following illustrative and non-exhaustive

list of companies are knowingly and directly

complicit in ongoing human rights violations:

The University of Washington currently has investments in companies that provide equipment or services used to directly maintain, support, or profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, including

a) the demolition of Palestinian homes and the development of illegal Is-raeli settlements;

b) the building or maintenance of the Separation wall, outposts, and segre-gated roads and transportation systems on occupied Palestinian territory, and

c) illegal use of weaponry and surveillance technology by the Israeli mili-tary against Palestinian civilian populations.

Companies for Divestment

Caterpillar has supplied the IDF with bulldozers used for home demolitions since 1967. Caterpillar has

sold D9 bulldozers to the IDF knowing they would be used to unlawfully demolish homes and endan-

ger civilians in the OPT. Caterpillar continued to sell D9’s directly to the IDF even though it knew that

the bulldozers were being used to commit war crimes and other serious violations of law. Caterpillar

has had constructive notice of the human rights violations committed with its bulldozers since at least

1989, when human rights groups began publicly condemning the violations.

In May 2004, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a letter to

Caterpillar corporation’s CEO in the United States warning that the bulldozers which the manufacturer

sells to the Israel Defense Forces are used for acts that may be deemed human rights violations and that

their deliver to the Israeli government with knowledge that they were being used for illegal demolition

“might involve complicity or acceptance on the part of [the] company to actual and potential violations

of human rights, including the right to food.”*

*Razing Rafah. Human Rights Watch. October 17, 2004. http://www.hrw.org/en/node/11963/section/3

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Hewlett Packard owns EDS Israel, which merged into HP and since 2009 is called: "HP Enterprise

Services". EDS has provided the Israeli ministry of defense with the development, installation, main-

tenance and on-going field support of the Basel System. The Basel System is an automated biomet-

ric access control system which includes a permit system for Palestinian workers, with hand and fa-

cial recognition, installed in checkpoints in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza. The system was fi-

nanced by the US government following the Wye River Memorandum.

HP has provided services and technologies to the Israeli army, among which is the administration of

the Israeli navy's IT infrastructure. The Israeli navy enforces the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip

since 2007. The IT infrastructure provided by HP to the Israeli navy was used by the Israeli military

as a pilot for implementing the same system to the entire army, a “virtualization project” contract won

by HP in 2009. In the same year, HP Global won another contract to supply all computer equipment

to the Israeli military. The contract was signed for three years with an option to prolong it for another

two years.

“Our research has identified four types of activity performed by G4S Israel, which

participate in different facets of the Israeli occupation. First, the company has pro-

vided security equipment and services to incarceration facilities holding Palestinian

prisoners inside Israel and in the occupied West Bank. These are incarceration facili-

ties that hold Palestinian political prisoners in violation of international law and in

which torture and systematic violations of human rights occur. Second, the company

has provided equipment and maintenance services to Israeli military checkpoints in

the West Bank. Some of these checkpoints are inside occupied territory and they are

all part of the Separation Wall complex which was deemed illegal by the International

Court of Justice. Third, the company offers security systems and security guards to

businesses in Israeli West Bank settlements, and are thus supporting these illegal

settlements. Finally, the company has also provided security systems for the Israeli

police headquarters in the West Bank which is located next to the Ma'ale Adumim

settlement. “

“Technologies of Control: The Case of Hewlett Packard (HP). “Who Profits: The

Israeli Occupation Industry.” Coalition of Women for Peace, Feb 2010. http://

www.whoprofits.org/HP

From Coaltion of Women for Peace:

“The case of G4S: Private Security Companies and the Israeli Occupation.” Coa-

lition of Women for Peace: The Israeli Occupation Industry. March 2011. http://

www.whoprofits.org/g4s_report

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“Veolia Environnement.” Who Profits? http://www.whoprofits.org/company/

Elbit Systems is one of two main providers of the electronic detection fence to the seam-

line and Wall project in the occupied West Bank.

Specifically, ES received the contract to the Jerusalem Envelope section of the Wall

(Masu'a system) with the US Detekion. Subsidiaries Elbit Electro-Optics (El-Op) and Elbit

Security Systems (Ortek) supplied and incorporated LORROS surveillance cameras in

the Ariel section and for the A-ram wall.

The company supplied UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to the Israeli army, which are

in operational use in during combat in the West Bank and Gaza. The cameras in these

UAV are manufactured by Controp Precision Technologies.

According to reports, the company developed an armed UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehi-

cle) for patroling the seamline with Controp Precision Technologies and Tomcar.

Veolia is a multinational French company operating in the fields of water, waste management,

energy and transport services. The company holds full control of Veolia Environnement Israel.

Veolia Environnement Israel provides services to the Israeli ministry of Defense.

Through its subsidiary - Veolia Transdev, the company has a 5% share in the CityPass consor-

tium, which was contracted to establish and operate the light rail project in Jerusalem. The light

rail was designed to connect the city of Jerusalem with the illegal settlements around it. Addi-

tionally, Veolia Transdev fully owns Connex Jerusalem, the company which operates the trains.

In 2010, Veolia Transdev (then Veolia Transportation) declared it will sell its shares in Citypass

to Egged and 80% of the shares in Connex Jerusalem. Yet, as to February 2014 the sale was

not executed.

Through its subsidiary Veolia Environnement Services Israel (which has bought T.M.M. Inte-

grated Recycling Services), Veolia Environnement owns and operates the Tovlan Landfill in the

occupied Jordan Valley. The Waste transferred to Landfill originates from recycle factories from

within Israel and from settlements in the West Bank. The company uses captured Palestinian

land and natural resources for the needs of Israeli settlements from both side of the green

line. The Tovlan landfill is operated by Veolia Environnement Services Israel's subsidiaries

TMM and Y.R.A.V Sherutei Noy 1985.

“Elbit Systems.” Who Profits? http://www.whoprofits.org/company/elbit-systems

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To The Associated Students

of the University of

Washington:

M y name is Ron Smith, I am a professor of Interna-tional Relations at Buck-

nell University, and I received my PhD from the University of Wash-ington in December of 2010. I am writing in reference to the new reso-lution being considered by the ASUW. As a graduate student at UW, I conducted my research in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and I worked in numerous Seattle and campus initiatives for social change. It gives me great pride to learn that ASUW is considering a divestment resolution, and I would like to offer my utmost support for the resolu-tion. I urge all students of con-science to support this resolution with confidence that it is a move in an ethical and moral direction.

My interest in the conflict began as a teenager, when I traveled to Israel on a B’nai Brith youth trip. While the trip was designed to foster con-nections between American Jews and the Israeli state, I saw some of the brutality of the First Intifada first hand. Our group was escorted by armored jeeps, and I saw soldiers attacking young unarmed Palestini-ans in a refugee camp outside of Jericho. This experience made me question several of the myths that underpin the unflagging support that Israel enjoys in the United States. As an undergraduate student at The Evergreen State College, I was able to piece together the poli-tics and the realities that I saw on the ground. The steps taken by the student body at Evergreen to pro-mote divestment are part of a proud tradition of social justice organizing,

one that University of Washington students can support as well.

For 6 years, as a PhD student at UW, I conducted research in the West Bank and Gaza. As my family are Jewish Israelis, I had no small theo-retical understanding of the injus-tices of the Israeli occupation of historical Palestine. Even this prepa-ration, however, in no way lessened the shock of the daily violence and mistreatment that I witnessed. The checkpoints, the wall, the home demolitions, and the arbitrary arrests and incarcerations work together to make Palestinian lives unliv-able. These policies are justified through the mobilization of racist stereotypes of Palestinians as terror-ists, suicide bombers and enemies of peace. The truth is that the vast ma-jority of Palestinians never engage in violent activities against Israelis, even as their livelihoods, freedoms, and birthrights are stolen by Israeli settlers, the Army, and the Israeli state. I cannot even hope to fully document these abuses in this short space, but I will provide a few points that make clear the gravity of the situation.

In villages where I conducted my research, I saw the collapse of entire economies, as Palestinians were de-prived of their resources while these were provided at subsidized rates for Israeli settlers. In the Qalqiliyah dis-trict, formerly home to greenhouses and agricultural abundance, I saw the results of a military order pre-venting Palestinians from drilling new wells and maintaining older ones since 1967. As Israelis drew ever more water from the aquifer, Palestinian villages once flush with fresh water were forced to buy water at exorbitant rates from the Israeli

I urge all students

of conscience to

support this

resolution with

confidence that it

is a move in an

ethical and moral

direction.

Ron Smith

Bucknell University

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water company, Mekorot, or worse, pay for tanker trucks to bring mini-mal supplies of water while neighboring Jewish-only settlements filled swimming pools, maintained manicured lawns, and ran fountains in the mid-summer heat.

In my research, I attended a military hearing for 4 children between the ages of 12 and 16. These children are arrested, tried, and incarcerated in a military prison system. They have no access to proper representa-tion, the hearings are conducted in Hebrew while they speak Arabic, and they were sentenced in a man-ner of minutes to harsh sentences of more than a year a piece for mi-nor infractions that would result in, at worst, a ticket or a warning from police officers in the US, or for Is-raeli youth accused of the same charges. Israel also maintains a sys-tem of administrative detention for adults, wherein Palestinians can be sent to prison for multiple 6-month sentences without charge, without representation, and these sentences can be repeated indefinitely. Many of these detainees don’t even know why they are in prison, and the pris-ons themselves are sites of numer-ous, grave human rights abuses.

In my research, I describe the effects of the apartheid wall and check-points across the West Bank as a system of graduated incarceration: meaning that all Palestinians are in-carcerated by Israel, but some places are far more dangerous for Palestini-ans than others. The checkpoints are nothing new, and are sites of fo-cused intense violence for Palestini-ans on a daily basis. I personally wit-nessed and documented extreme violence against Palestinian civilians, many of whom were young chil-

dren, at these checkpoints, including acts I would characterize as sadism.

In 2009, I saw a young girl, 8 years old, at the Qalandiya checkpoint, her eyes covered with gauze as her fa-ther tried to take her to the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. As her father passed through the turnstile that defines much of the experience of Palestinian travel in the West Bank, a soldier with a remote con-trol trapped the young girl inside the turnstile, and taunted her. She was unable to see why she was trapped, and was terrified, crying and calling out for her father. All the while I saw the Israeli soldier pointing at her and laughing, and I saw the father powerless to rescue her until the sol-dier grew bored with his game.

Gaza is often described as an open-air prison. With the support of a number of NGO’s, including the Rachel Corrie Foundation in Olym-pia, I have been fortunate to gain access to the besieged Gaza Strip on numerous occasions. Here you see a territory, including some of the most densely populated places on earth: Al-Shati and Jabaliyya Refugee Camps. 1.7 million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza, with no options for growth or development. Young peo-ple are desperate to leave the flood-ing sewers, the poisoned water, the 16-hour daily electrical blackouts and the lack of jobs or opportuni-ties, but are trapped by a wrong-headed and disastrous siege policy put into place by Israel and sup-ported by our own government. At times, there are daily invasions and drone attacks in the strip, and deaths from Israeli snipers are so common that they often go unreported, even in the Arabic press. Gazan lives are rapidly deteriorating.

I personally

witnessed and

documented

extreme violence

against

Palestinian

civilians.

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Through all of these violations the governments of the international community either sit idly by, or pro-mote the policies that Israel main-tains. World governments, with a few small, but notable exceptions, refuse to take any action that could upset the United States and its spe-cial relationship with Israel. Aca-demics who challenge Israel are of-ten the targets of slanderous cam-paigns attempting to stifle any cri-tique. This is a direct challenge to academic freedom, and the very act of open and prompt debate regard-ing the resolution is a stand to pro-tect those very freedoms that uni-versities are designed to protect.

Communities across the globe are tired of watching their taxes and their diplomatic corps support the ongoing violence. They are taking stands every year, every week, to support the nonviolent movement of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanc-tions. The goals are clear: Israel must abide by international law. The means are direct: individuals, com-munities, and institutions can take a stand simply by refusing to support the Israeli occupation by purchasing products from companies that profit from the occupation. These actions have the full support of Palestinian civil society, and even some sectors of Israeli society have realized that BDS represents the best hope for change, and support the boycott through groups like Boycott from Within, and the Shministim, High School students who have publicly refused to join the military (60 stu-dents have publicly refused this year alone, citing the human rights viola-tions of the Israeli military).

The wording of the ASUW resolu-tion targets companies directly prof-

iting from the misery and exploita-tion of the occupation. These com-panies are prolonging the conflict by their presence and support for the misconceived government policies enacted by Israel against Palestini-ans. There is a growing grassroots movement across the country and across the world to stand up to the injustices of a state immune from state pressure, and to use nonviolent action to promote a new space of understanding and rapprochement between Israelis and Palestinians. It is absolutely vital that the UW join the right side of history and join students, working people, and peo-ple of conscience the world over in their condemnation of companies profiting from the occupation.

I am proud to be a UW and TESC graduate, and I feel so privileged to know the family of Rachel Corrie, the Evergreen student who died nonviolently defending Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in 2003. Her family continues to work tire-lessly to defend Palestinian rights, and promote equality and justice in the Middle East and here at home. We must support Rachel’s legacy, and the efforts of her family, and countless others who demand justice and accountability for all in the Mid-dle East. This resolution is a brilliant opportunity to send a powerful mes-sage, that UW students recognize the gravity of the conflict, but also the possibilities that grassroots movements like BDS provide.

Sincerely,

Ron J Smith Assistant Professor

Department of International

Relations

The wording of the

ASUW resolution

targets companies

directly profiting

from the misery

and exploitation of

the occupation.

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Dear senators,

S eattle CISPES believes in human

rights and self-determination of

peoples across the world. We

take inspiration from international soli-

darity organizing that has contributed to

various struggles for economic and so-

cial justice. The rich history of campus

solidarity organizing proves the power

students have in confronting injustice,

as in the fight against apartheid in South

Africa. We encourage UW students to

again stand for justice and support this

resolution.

The resolution lays out several reasons

why divestment is the right action for

the university to take as an institution.

By moving away from investments that

further the occupation of Palestinian

land, the university would be taking a

principled stand for international human

rights. Divestment serves as a concrete

pressure tactic to oppose ongoing settle-

ment expansion and strategic division of

the occupied territories to benefit the

Israeli state at the detriment of the Pal-

estinian people.

This is an opportunity for the University

of Washington to join with other US

college campuses in divesting from in-

justice.

Sincerely,

Allen Hines Coordinator of Seattle CISPES

Support Letter from Allen Hines

of CISPES, Seattle

By moving away

from investments

that further the

occupation of

Palestinian land,

the university

would be taking a

principled stand for

international

human rights.

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A s a UW alum and Jewish Seat-

tleite I am deeply concerned

that UW may be investing in

companies that profit from Israelʼs oc-

cupation. Some of these companies pro-

vide weapons and covert surveillance

supplies that maintain the occupation by

force. Others enable Israeli military and

settlers to take or exploit Palestinian

resources, including scarce water and

even the land itself. All profit from Is-

raelʼs violations of international law and

international human rights standards.

I am proud that UW offers not only first

-rate academics, but also, in the UW

Statement of Values, sees the work of

the university as “educat[ing] a diverse

student body to become responsible

global citizens and future leaders.”

The university is an important site for

not just instilling but also enacting those

values. I’m proud of the legacy UW

students have created by using their

time on campus to transform the world

beyond Red Square—from the 1970

UW student strike in protest of the Viet-

nam War to the UW out of South Africa

Committee which fought for and won

divestment from Apartheid South Africa

in the 1980s.

It is in the spirit of this legacy that I sup-

port the ASUW resolution to divest

from companies profiting from the Is-

raeli Occupation. Student tuition,

alumni donations, and Washington State

tax dollars should not be contributing to

ongoing denials of human rights and

violations of international law. I call on

ASUW Senators to stand on the right

side of history and support divestment

today.

Student tuition,

alumni donations,

and Washington

State tax dollars

should not be

contributing to

ongoing denials

of human rights

Letter from Stefanie Fox, MPH

School of Public Health Class of ‘07

Co-Director of Organizing, Jewish Voice for Peace

Stefanie Fox

April 16, 2014

To Whom it May Concern:

A ntioch Students for Justice in

Palestine (SJP) strongly sup-

ports SUPER UW’s divestment

resolution. We believe it is morally im-

perative to divest from companies that

profit from the Israeli occupation of

Palestine. Divesting from these compa-

nies is the responsible and ethical thing

to do and will show that UW prioritizes

social justice. Divestment aligns the

University of Washington with interna-

tional law and human rights by with-

holding support for the illegal actions of

the government of Israel. These actions

include the continuing expansion of

Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands;

the building of a Separation Wall that

annexes Palestinian land under the pre-

text of “security” for Israel; and the on-

going blockade of Gaza, which has re-

sulted in lack of food, medicine, and

other basic necessities for people living

in the Gaza Strip, just to name a few.

Divesting is a step toward a vision of

socially responsible investing setting an

example to the students and other

stakeholders of the University of

Washington.

Sincerely,

Beverly Stuart

Antioch SJP

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I srael’s occupation of Pales-tine is the most bizarre and barbaric land grab and con-

trol of people in the history of colonialism. The BDS move-ment is a peaceful means for educational institutions to re-spond to Israel’s violence that governments and corporations would rather profit from. I urge ASUW to behave as people of conscience and pass this resolu-tion to divest from complicit companies, starting with Cater-pillar. Be remembered for your wisdom, courage and compas-sion.

Aaron Dixon

To whom it may concern,

W e at Students United for Pal-

estinian Equal Rights

(SUPER) here in Portland,

Oregon are writing to offer our support

for UW's divestment resolution. Many

of our members have been directly af-

fected by the ongoing occupation of the

West Bank, Gaza Strip and historic Pal-

estine including ongoing struggles to

keep citizenship in East Jerusalem.

We fully support SUPER UW in your

efforts and hope that the student body

considers the entire weight of the mat-

ter. We recognize solidarity with our

brothers and sisters on the US-Mexico

border, our indigenous brothers and sis-

ters in North America and our brothers

and sisters across the world continuing

to struggle against racism and settler

colonialism.

Support Letter from Aaron Dixon,

Author of “My People Are

Rising: Memoir of Black

Panther Party Captain.”

Participant of the African

Heritage Delegation to

Israel-Palestine, 2012

Sincerely,

Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights

@ Portland State University

[email protected]

Many of our members have been directly affected by the ongoing occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and historic Palestine including ongoing struggles to keep

citizenship in East Jerusalem.

The BDS movement is a peaceful means for educational institutions to respond to Israel’s violence.

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Alumni Support for ASUW Divestment

W e are University of Washington alumni who are deeply concerned

that UW is likely investing in com-panies that profit from Israelʼs occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Some of these companies provide weapons and covert surveillance supplies that maintain the occupa-tion by force. Others enable Israeli military and settlers to take or exploit Palestinian resources, in-cluding scarce water and even the land itself. All profit from Israelʼs violations of international law and international human rights stan-dards.

As graduates of University of Washington, we are proud that UW offers first-rate academics, and also, as stated in the UW Statement of Values, sees the work of the university as “educat[ing] a diverse student body to become responsi-ble global citizens and future lead-ers.”

The university is an important site for not just instilling but also en-acting those values. We are proud of the legacy UW students have created by using their time on cam-pus to transform the world beyond Red Square—from the 1970 UW student strike in protest of the Viet-nam War to the UW out of South Africa Committee which fought for and won divestment from Apart-heid South Africa in the 1980s.

We are University

of Washington

alumni who are

deeply concerned

that UW is likely

investing in

companies that

profit from Israelʼs

occupation of the

Gaza Strip, the

West Bank, and

East Jerusalem.

(Continued on next page)

17


It is in the spirit of this legacy,

that we wholeheartedly support

the UW Student Senate resolu-

tion to divest from companies

profiting from the Israeli Occu-pation. Divestment is a time-honored nonviolent tactic used in social justice movements through-out the world. Student tuition, alumni donations, and Washington State tax dollars should not be contributing to ongoing denials of human rights and violations of international law. We call on ASUW Senators to stand on the right side of history and support divestment today.

Signed,

J. Leah Hughes, Class of 2008

Selma Dillsi, Class of 2009 & 2010

Destry Taylor, Class of 2011

Evemarie Theryn Kigvamasudvashti, Class of 2011

Eva Dale, Class of 2004

Cindy Sousa, PhD 2012, MPH 2008

James William Alyson, Class of 2010

Trevor Griffey, Class of 2011

Ariel Federow, Class of 2003

Susan Koppelman, MSW '05, IDCP '05

Naomi Goldenson, Class of 2012

Linda Bevis, Class of 1990,1996 (JD, MAIS, M.Ed)

Zarah Kushner, Class of 2010 & 2012

Lloyd Johnson, M.D., Class of 1956

Wendy Somerson, Class of 1999

Danielle Friedman, MSW 2005

Nicole Ramirez, Class of 2011

Aditya Ganapathiraju, Class of 2010

Christopher Patterson, Class of 2013

Aaron Lerner, Class of 2013

Jill Mangaliman, Class of 2003

Mona Atallah, Class of 2010

Katherine Flowers, Class of 2010

Nathaniel Shara, Class of 2008

Marie A. Goines, MSW 2007

shelby handler, Class of 2013

Hanady Kader, Class of 2007

Sean Power, MSW 2005, MPH 2006

(Continued from previous page)

18


Examples of Divestment Victories

• Hampshire College, a 1970s pioneer in the

struggle against apartheid South Africa, was

once again the first US college to vote for di-

vestiture. In 2009, it decided to divest from

some 200 companies that “violated the col-

lege’s standards for social responsibility”, in-

cluding six companies with close connections

to Israel’s occupation.

• Hampshire’s actions have since been followed

by students at Evergreen State College in

Olympia, Washington, who in 2010 voted to

divest the College Foundation’s funds from

companies profiting from Israel’s illegal occu-

pation. (See pages 20-21)

• In 2011, the University of Johannesburg offi-

cially cut ties with Israel’s Ben-Gurion Univer-

sity due to the University’s support for the ille-

gal occupation through its academic endeav-

ors. The decision was taken following a cam-

paign backed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

and over 400 South African academics.

• 2012 proved to be a year of rapid escalation

for the international solidarity movement

against Israel’s human rights violations, wit-

nessing many BDS victories. Those are there-

fore presented in greater detail in the following

page. Amongst these victories, we find the

student body of the University of Regina’s de-

cision to adopt BDS “as a means of pressur-

ing Israel to comply with International and hu-

man rights law” and the University of Massa-

chusetts Boston’s undergraduate student gov-

ernment passing a resolution to divest from

Boeing. Other resolutions to support divest-

ment were passed at the graduate and under-

graduate level at Arizona State University,

Wits University in Johannesburg, UC Irvine

and York University.

• In 2013, following UC Irvine’s Associated Stu-

dents’ unanimous vote to call for divestment

from companies profiting from human rights

abuses, UC San Diego and UC Riverside

have passed similar resolutions by wide mar-

gins or unanimity.

19


1. University of California, Riverside. SJP @ UCR

2. University of Southern California. SJP @ USC

3. University of California, San Diego. SJP @ UCSD

4. California State University, Northridge. SJP@ CSUN

5. UM. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. SAFE

6. UWM. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. SJP @ UWM

7. UNM. University of New Mexico. SJP @ UNM

8. Rutgers University (New Jersey). SJP @ Rutgers

9. The University of Kansas. KU Students for Justice in the MIddle East

10. SJP at University of Illinois-Chicago

11. SJP at University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign

12. The DC-Maryland-Virginia Students For Justice in Palestine

13. George Mason University Students Against Israeli Apartheid

14. American University Students For Justice in Palestine

15. George Washington University Students for Justice in Palestine

16. Georgetown University Students For justice in Palestine

17. University of Maryland Students for justice in Palestine

18. The DC-Maryland-Virginia Students For Justice in Palestine

19. Harvard College Solidarity Committee

20. SJP at California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

21. SJP at University of California, Davis.

22. SJP at UMN - The University of Minnesota

23. SJP at The University of California, Santa Barbara

24. SJP at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles

25. SJP at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI

National List

of Students

for Justice in

Palestine

who express

their support

20


M y name is Dan Berger, and I

am an assistant professor of

comparative ethnic studies at

the Bothell campus of the University of

Washington. I am writing in reference

to the resolution being considered by the

ASUW pertaining to divestment from

the Israeli occupation. I write as a pro-

fessor who studies issues of inequality

and justice, as an employee of the Uni-

versity of Washington, and an American

Jew whose mother is Israeli and grand-

parents survived the Holocaust. I sup-

port this resolution as an effort to ensure

that our University respects human

rights and operates with a strong ethical

and moral compass.

The Israeli occupation is both illegal

under international law and involves

extensive and ongoing violations of hu-

man rights and international law that are

systemic in nature and thoroughly docu-

mented by a range of internationally

respected organizations. Corporations

that collaborate with and profit from the

occupation are themselves therefore

complicit in the perpetration of human

rights violations. Furthermore, a deci-

sion to divest from corporations that

profit from these fundamental violations

is in keeping with the commitment to

respect for human rights, non-

discrimination and ethical values that is

a cornerstone of any university’s moral

and intellectual mission. Such divest-

ments helped end apartheid in South

Africa and curtail the use of sweatshops;

I hope they can now be used to support

an end to the Israeli occupation and help

secure justice for Palestinian people.

As you well know, the movement to

boycott, divest from, and leverage sanc-

tions upon (BDS) the Israeli occupation

is growing. Last fall, the members of the

American Studies Association, includ-

ing myself, the largest and oldest inter-

disciplinary professional association of

scholars studying American culture and

history, adopted a resolution boycott of

Israeli academic institutions for their

connection to the illegal occupation.

Despite some media speculation that the

move would hurt the ASA, the associa-

tion membership rolls have grown in

response to the vote, which was the

largest vote in the history of the ASA.

Similar resolutions have been adopted

by Association for Asian American

Studies and the Native American Stud-

ies Association; the Modern Language

Association voiced its disapproval of

Israeli state censorship of academic

freedom by denying academics access

to Gaza and the West Bank. Similar

resolutions are being debated by univer-

sities around the country.

This resolution is an exciting opportu-

nity to send a powerful message, that

UW students recognize the gravity of

the conflict, but also the possibilities

that grassroots movements like BDS

provide. It is clearly in keeping with the

University of Washington’s own stated

commitment to “the active pursuit of

global engagement and connectedness”

and to fostering “engaged and responsi-

ble citizenship.” I hope that the univer-

sity can be a leader in this urgent issue

of justice.

Sincerely,

Dan Berger, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor,

Comparative Ethnic Studies

To The Associated

Students of the University of Washington,

April 17, 2014

21


22


I urge you to vote in support of the

resolution to divest from companies

that are profiting from the Israeli

occupation and colonization of Palestin-

ian land and resources.

After completing my MSW & IDCP at

the UW, I went on to live in Ramallah

for five years, working with a Palestin-

ian collective organizing for water

justice. While I was living in Palestine,

I also trained for nearly 500 hours inside

of Israel to become a yoga teacher. I

understand well the nuances and the

complexities of what it means as a

Jewish person from the US to be in

relationship with family and friends

inside of Israel, while also taking action

to end the Israeli state’s violations of

international law and human rights.

The resolution itself makes an ex-

tremely compelling argument: outlining

violations of international law and

human rights committed by the State of

Israel; referencing independent docu-

mentation by the UN, as well as by

international, Palestinian and Israeli

human rights groups of these violations;

documenting the complicity of interna-

tional corporations who are profiting

from the development of infrastructure

that entrenches these human rights

violations; situating this resolution

within the call for solidarity by Palestin-

ian civil society; and accurately framing

BDS as a non-violent strategy to bring

about corporate and state accountability

for human rights violations.

As I write to you, I’m concerned that

the facts of Israeli and corporate viola-

tions impacting every sector of life for

the Palestinian people, may be over-

shadowed by discourses of 'one sided-

ness.' We may begin hearing that ac-

countability of the State of Israel for its

human rights violations is offensive or

somehow makes Jewish students less

safe. Please let us hold compassion for

the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian

people at the hands of Israeli policy and

international corporations, alongside

compassion for the historical oppression

of the Jewish people and ongoing lega-

cies of anti-Semitism. With this com-

passion for all who are suffering, it is

important to distinguish between per-

ceived threats to safety, and actual

threats to safety, such as the demolition

of Palestinian homes and water reser-

voirs, mass arrests of Palestinian youths,

inhuman restrictions on freedom of

movement, the commandeering of

civilian homes and use of civilians as

human shields, and the Israeli military’s

practice of firing into civilian neighbor-

hoods unprovoked to elicit return fire,

or in the case of Gaza, to punish civil-

ians for voting for Hamas.

It is inaction in the face of injustice that

makes all members of our UW commu-

nity less safe. It does not do anyone in

our community any good to have our

university investment dollars supporting

human rights violations.

With love and solidarity,

Susan Koppelman

MSW ’05, IDCP ‘05

Dear ASUW, I am writing to you as a UW alum (MSW

’05, IDCP ‘05), a Jew, a granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and a direct

descendant of the earliest Ashkenazi pioneers of the State of Israel.

23


To the Associated Students of the University of

Washington:

T he Rachel Corrie Foundation for

Peace and Justice respectfully

urges the Associated Students of

the University of Washington to support

and adopt the divestment resolution

proposed by students of conscience. The

resolution calls upon the University of

Washington to divest from companies

that support the Israeli occupation of

Palestinian land and that profit from

violations of international law and

human rights that the occupation

engenders. We further urge you to

support the resolution provision that

calls, as a first measure, for divestment

from Caterpillar Inc., and for

cooperation with The Evergreen State

College to honor a 2010 vote by the

Evergreen student body to divest of

Caterpillar Inc. investments held by the

Evergreen State College Foundation and

housed with the UW Consolidated

Endowment Fund.

The Rachel Corrie Foundation was

founded by community and family

members after Rachel was killed in

Rafah, Gaza, in 2003. She had

completed her studies at The Evergreen

State College and traveled to Israel/

Palestine in solidarity with Palestinians

who were challenging the decades old

Israeli occupation with nonviolent direct-

action resistance – in the tradition of

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther

King. A Caterpillar D9R militarized

bulldozer operated by Israeli soldiers ran

over Rachel as she stood between the

bulldozer and the home of a Palestinian

family threatened with demolition.

Members of the family watched through

a crack in their garden wall as the

bulldozer approached, proceeded over

Rachel, stopped, and then backing, went

over her again. Rachel died shortly after.

Human Rights Watch reported in

Razing Rafah that from 2000-2004, the

Israeli military destroyed the homes of

16,000 Palestinians in Rafah. The study

indicated, “The pattern of destruction

strongly suggests that Israeli forces

demolished homes wholesale, regardless

of whether they posed a specific threat,

in violation of international law.

In most of the cases, Human Rights

Watch found the destruction was carried

out in the absence of military

necessity.” Caterpillar Inc. was on

notice long before this that its machines

were being used in the commission of

human rights violations. Yet to this day,

the corporation continues to sell and

service equipment and parts through

foreign military sales to the Israeli

Government.

In our work at the Rachel Corrie

Foundation, we have witnessed the lack

of intention or will on the part of the

Israeli and U.S. Governments to ensure

freedom, equality, self-determination,

and security for all in Israel and

Palestine. We are, therefore, all the

more heartened by the resolution that

has come before you, and by the

prospect of the important conversation

you will likely have around this issue.

We urge the Associated Students of the

University of Washington to honor the

2005 call from Palestinian civil society

for BDS, and also that of students of

conscience at the University of

Washington – students who believe

their university should not be invested

in companies that help to sustain the

Israeli occupation and its violations of

Palestinian human rights. We strongly

urge you to join other colleges and

universities that have taken a stand for

BDS and against injustice. Refusing to

divest is not a neutral position. Profiting

from the Israeli military occupation

makes us complicit in its human rights

abuses and violations of international

law.

Sincerely and

with very best

wishes,

The Rachel Corrie

Foundation for Peace and

Justice

Rachel Corrie

1979-2003

24


I n the spring of 2010, the student

body of the Evergreen State Col-

lege passed two resolutions, one

calling for divestment from compa-

nies profiting off of Israel’s occupa-

tion of Palestine, and the other for

the creation of a CAT Free Zone,

prohibiting the use of Caterpillar

Inc. equipment on campus. The re-

sult of the vote, the first student-

wide one of its kind, was a resound-

ing victory for both resolutions,

passing with 79.5% and 71.8% re-

spectively.

The voter turnout set a record at Ev-

ergreen, and was more than double

the average turnout in student elec-

tions nationwide. Following the

vote, the Geoduck Student Union

unanimously passed resolutions sup-

porting the student vote and direct-

ing the Board of Trustees to respond

in a timely manner to the request of

the student body. The Board of Trus-

tees refused to publicly discuss the

resolutions, the reason given being

that Evergreen’s endowment hold-

ings are directly tied to the UW Con-

solidated Endowment Fund. Conse-

quentially, Evergreen’s ability to re-

spect the voice of the student body

and divest has been made contingent

upon the University of Washington.

In 2005, 170 Palestinian civil society

groups issued a call for Boycott, Di-

vestment, and Sanctions (BDS)

against Israel and institutions com-

plicit in and profiting from the occu-

pation of Palestinian land. BDS is a

non-violent challenge to a conflict

which is militarily one-sided. BDS

was instrumental in ending the

Apartheid regime in South Africa,

and, like with the Palestinian call for

action, campuses and students are on

the forefront of social justice.

Refusing to divest is not a neutral

position; refusing to divest puts us

on the side of military occupation

and makes us complicit in human

rights abuses. Israel’s occupation of

Palestinian lands has been found, by

the United Nations and the Interna-

tional Court of Justice, to be in vio-

lation of International Law. A divest-

ment resolution may be criticized as

divisive; however, like in all matters

of social justice, there is no position

that is not.

As well as being one of the defining

human rights struggles of our time,

the abuses of Israel’s occupation

have direct ties to students in the

Washington state. In 2003, Ever-

green student and lifelong Olympia

resident Rachel Corrie was killed by

a Caterpillar bulldozer, designed

specifically for the Israeli Defence

Forces, while defending a Palestin-

ian home in the Gaza Strip from ille-

gal demolition. In honoring this leg-

acy, the 2005 call by Palestinian

civil society, and Evergreen’s 2010

student body vote to divest from the

occupation, we urge the University

of Washington to stand on the right

side of history and to pass this reso-

lution to divest from companies

profiting from violations of interna-

tional law and human rights.

Dear Associated Students of the

University of Washington:

Sincerely,

The Evergreen State College’s Students for Justice in Palestine

The Native Student Alliance (NSA)

at Evergreen

Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (MEChA) de Evergreen

25


W e, the undersigned members of the faculty at The

Evergreen State College, affirm our support for ASUW Resolution 20-39, “A Resolution to Divest from Companies Profiting from Violations of International Law and Human Rights.”

We applaud students at the University

of Washington for taking this important

step, which seeks to protect the human

rights of Palestinians subject to Israel’s

illegal occupation of their territories.

We fully endorse the well-documented

and well-reasoned statement they

prepared in support of their demands.

The Evergreen State College has a

history of engagement with this

issue. We have held many public fora,

and the complexities of the problem

h a v e b e e n d i s s e c t e d i n o u r

classrooms. As the UW students noted,

one of our own students, Rachel Corrie,

was killed by an Israeli soldier as she

nonviolently attempted to defend a

Palestinian home from demolition. In

2010, our student body voted by a 78%

margin in favor of having the college

divest from companies that profit from

the illegal occupation.

As the ASUW resolution makes clear,

Evergreen cannot fully implement its

divestment from companies complicit in

these human rights abuses until the

University of Washington also

acts. Solidarity between TESC students

and faculty and UW students and

faculty can be an impetus for real

change on both campuses.

We express our support for the students

at Evergreen and UW who have taken

the lead in putting their institutions on

the side of legality, human rights, justice

and peace.

Therese Saliba, Ph.D. English and International Feminism

Greg Mullins, Ph.D. American Studies Anthony Zaragoza, Ph.D. American Studies and Political Economy

Savvina Chowdhury, Ph.D. Feminist Political Economy

Naima Lowe, MFA Experimental Media

Jose Gomez, J.D. Constitutional Law

Michael Vavrus Ph.D. Education and Political Economy

Lin Nelson, Ph.D. Social Science

Larry Mosqueda, Ph.D. Political Science

Jeanne Hahn, Ph.D. Political Economy

Anne Fischel, Ph.D. Documentary Media and Community Studies

Peter Bohmer, Ph.D. Economics

Arun Chandra, DMA Music Composition and Performance

Alice Nelson, Ph.D. Latin American Studies

Zoltan Grossman,

Ph.D. Geography

Amjad Faur, MFA Photography

Sarah Williams,

Ph.D. Feminist Theory

Paul McMillin, MA Sociology, MLIS

Miranda Mellis,

MFA Literary Arts

Lori Blewett, Ph.D. Communications Studies

Zahid Shariff, DPA Political Theory

Chico Herbison,

Ph.D., English and African American Studies

Karen Gaul, Ph.D., Anthropology

Grace Huerta,

Ph.D., Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Elizabeth

Williamson, Ph.D., English

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Faculty of The Evergreen State

26


27


T he Palestinian Campaign for

the Academic and Cultural

Boycott of Israel (PACBI) sa-

lutes Students United for Palestinian

Rights and Equality at the University

of Washington (SUPER UW) for

their principled efforts in submitting

a resolution for consideration by the

Associated Students of the University

of Washington (ASUW) senate. The

resolution calls on the University of

Washington to divest its endowment

from companies profiting from the

Israeli government’s abuses of human

rights and violations of international

law. [1]

The divestment resolution amounts to

a clear attempt to challenge the no-

tion that complicit companies and

investments in Israel’s abuses can be

"normal" business partners of any

self-respecting institution or associa-

tion. Over the past 20 years, Israel

has intensified its construction of ille-

gal colonies in the occupied Palestin-

ian territory. It continues to bomb

and kill Palestinian civilians in Gaza

and maintains its medieval siege of

1.8 million Palestinians there. Its

wall, condemned as illegal by the In-

ternational Court of Justice in 2004,

is still standing and expanding, sepa-

rating Palestinians from their liveli-

hoods, schools and farms. Israel’s

ethnic cleansing of Palestinian com-

munities in the Naqab (Negev), East

Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley was

condemned by a ranking UN official

as constituting a strategy of exclusion

and discrimination [2]. Its policy of

home demolitions, uprooting trees

and denial of freedom of movement

have intensified in recent months. It

still maintains more than 50 racist

laws [3] that are condemned by inter-

national and local human rights or-

ganizations. Even the U.S. Depart-

ment of State has censured Israel’s

system of “institutional, legal and

societal” discrimination against Pal-

estinian citizens of the state. [4] In-

vestments in Israeli companies or

companies that benefit from Israel’s

abuses of Palestinian rights cannot be

ethically defended or justified.

SUPER UW has proven beyond

doubt that effective solidarity with

the oppressed is the most morally and

politically sound contribution to the

struggle to end oppression and to pro-

mote human rights and justice. And

solidarity starts with “withdrawing

support,” as a fundamental first step,

from a system of injustice, as Martin

Luther King Jr. says. We are certain

that this outstanding expression of

solidarity and support for the Pales-

tinian BDS movement will further

galvanize academics across the

United States as well as in other

countries to issue similar calls for the

boycott of the Israeli academy and its

complicit institutions. As in South

Africa during apartheid, only by iso-

lating these institutions can there be

any chance of ending their complicity

in Israel’s multi-tiered system of op-

pression against the Palestinian peo-

ple.

PACBI wishes to acknowledge, with

gratitude, the determined efforts of all

the students who are diligently and

strategically working on passing this

resolution. Considering the prevailing

climate of intimidation in the US

academy when it comes to voicing

the slightest criticism of Israel’s vio-

lations of international law, it indeed

takes courage to advocate for divest-

ment from companies profiting from

the human rights abuses of the Pales-

tinians.

A Salute to SUPER UW on

their Divestment Resolution

Notes: [1] http://superuw.org/dawgsdivest/ [2] http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/12/un-report

-accuses-israel-of-pushing-palestinians-from-jerusalem-west-bank/ [3] http://adalah.org/eng/

Israeli-Discriminatory-Law-Database [4] http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/

nea/154463.htm Posted on 22-04-2014 on http://pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=2413

Signed,

BDS National Committee (BNC)

And the

Palestinian

Campaign for the

Academic and

Cultural Boycott of

Israel

BNC and PACBI

28


Calling for boycott, divestment, and

sanctions against those who violate

fundamental human rights is a long

enshrined American practice, certainly

among American Jews. My father was

an early supporter of the civil rights

movement, which included the Mont-

gomery Bus boycott. In high school I

marched with my classmates in support

of Soviet Jews whose human rights

were being violated. Jews supported the

1974 Jackson-Vanick amendment that

restricted trade with the Soviet Union,

just as many supported the divestment

movement against the treatment of

blacks under South African apartheid.

The global BDS movement calls upon

the State of Israel to recognize and pro-

tect the human rights of the Palestinians

in accordance with international resolu-

tions and human rights standards. Vot-

ing for divestment will not only promote

the cause of the downtrodden and op-

pressed, but it will send a message to

the Israeli government that there is a

price to pay—though small—for the

ongoing suppression of the fundamental

human rights of the Palestinians.

Will a BDS victory make peace more

difficult? On the contrary, the BDS

movement – and especially the pro-

posed ASUW divestment campaign –

will strengthen the forces of justice and

peace on both sides. As an Israeli I can

tell you that every BDS success brings

the moral morass of the Occupation into

the public light. When a recording artist

cancels his appearance, it’s front page

news in Israel. Such successes empower

peace-minded politicians and public

intellectuals to explain to the average

Israelis the cost of the Occupation and

to argue that the Occupation is not

something they can shut out of their

lives.

By contrast, failing to act on the BDS

call allows the ongoing suppression of

human rights to continue. The forces of

the status quo would like to do every-

thing they can to keep the Occupation

from the public eye. They will tell you

about a “United Jerusalem” but they

won’t tell you how certain Palestinian

neighborhoods in Jerusalem lack proper

sewage, water, and even police forces.

They will tell you about economic

growth for the Palestinians on the West

Bank, but they won’t tell you that this

progress is limited to a narrow stratum

of Palestinians associated with the Pal-

estinian Authority in Area A, and is

subject to the whim of the Israel govern-

ment, that life for Palestinians in Area C

is a nightmare of land expropriations,

permits, and harassment. They will tell

you about how Palestinian Israeli citi-

zens have the right to vote, but they

won’t tell you that for over sixty years

Arabs have enjoyed virtually no politi-

cal power because they have been sys-

tematically excluded from government

coalitions.

Dear UW Students,

Charles Manekin

The University of

Maryland

A s an American Israeli, a veteran of

the Israel Defense Force, a life-long Zionist, and a committed, orthodox Jewish studies scholar, whose children and grandchildren live in Israel, I am writing in support of ASUW Resolution 20-39, “A Resolution to Divest from Companies Profiting from Violations of International Law and

29


Charles H. Manekin

So what means do the Palestinians have

at their disposal in their fight for jus-

tice? They don’t have armies. They

cannot use violence. They are prevented

by the Israeli military in engaging in

non-violent protest. They are penalized

by Israel if they pursue statehood at the

UN, or join international organizations.

Israel, which became a state unilaterally

over the protest of the majority of the

people of Palestine, will not allow Pal-

estinians to do anything unilateral.

That leaves the BDS movement. Divest-

ment from companies that benefit from

the Occupation will not hurt the average

Israeli but will send a clear message to

her government: “Enough! Get serious

about a just solution, and don’t think

that the world will accept your rule over

the Palestinians forever.”

The Bible teaches us, “Justice, justice,

you shall pursue.” The divestment cam-

paign is about one thing: justice. I urge

you to support this initiative.

Professor of Philosophy

Director of the Joseph and

Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and

Center for Jewish Studies

The University of Maryland

Such successes

empower peace-

minded politicians

and public intellec-

tuals to explain to

the average Is-

raelis the cost of

the Occupation

and to argue that

the Occupation is

not something they

can shut out of

their lives.”

“Will a BDS victory

make peace more

difficult?

On the contrary...

30


T he International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and the Seattle

Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild support Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER-UW) and other students of con-science who are asking their Stu-dent Senate to adopt a resolution requesting divestment from compa-nies that support, maintain or profit from the occupation of Palestinian land. This University of Washing-ton student initiative responds to representatives of Palestinian civil society who, in 2005, called on the international community to boy-cott, divest and sanction (BDS) the State of Israel until it meets its obligations to recognize and com-ply with international law in its treatment of Palestinians.

The BDS movement seeks by non-violent means to achieve three goals that are recognized as legally enforceable under international law: equal rights, the restoration of lands stolen by an occupying power, and the right of unlawfully displaced people to return to their homes.

Further, the resolution on the table does not ask the University and its financial managers to injure its investments in any way. The re-quest honors the UW trustees’ le-gally binding fiduciary duty and

To whom it may concern:

31


the feasibility to implement is un-questioned.

The resolution is in keeping with the UW’s vision statement which calls on its students to be engaged and responsible citizens. UW stu-dents have a history of acting for human rights and peace, adopting divestment resolutions directed at apartheid in South Africa and genocide in Sudan. With this reso-lution, UW students join a vibrant and growing human rights move-ment on campuses in the U.S. and Europe.

The NLG has a long history of support for academic freedom and expressive rights. We believe that universities have a responsibility to expose students to the rich variety of perspectives on issues of public importance. Universities and other institutions across the country have been permeated with a climate that stifles discussion of divestment and Palestinian human rights. We hope the Senate will avail itself of this opportunity to engage in dialogue and debate, including about the norms of international law.

And finally, we ask the Student Senate to adopt the Resolution to Divest from Companies Profiting from Violations of International Law and Human Rights.

The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937 as a racially inclu-sive organization, is the oldest and largest public interest and human rights bar association in the United States. Guild lawyers participated in the founding of the United Na-tions and since then the Interna-tional Committee of the Guild has

sought to assist movements in the United States and around the globe which promote peace, justice, health, equality, openness, and a better world. At its 2007 Conven-tion, the National Lawyers Guild resolved to divest from Israel until Israel had withdrawn from the ter-ritories it occupied in 1967, ex-tended equal rights to all its inhabi-tants, and fully implemented the right of return for all refugees and their descendants. The 2007 resolu-tion also called for an end to U.S. military, economic and other assis-tance to Israel.

Signed:

International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild

Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Co-Chair

Suzanne Adely, Co-Chair

Jeanne Mirer, Co-Chair

www.nlginternational.org

Seattle Chapter, National Lawyers Guild

Neil Fox, President

http://nlgseattle.org

[email protected]

32


I am proud and honored to support

the current resolution to divest the

University of Washington of its

shares in firms that support Israel’s

illegal occupation of the West Bank.

We all know that companies such as

HP, Caterpillar, Northrop Grumman,

Hewlett-Packard, Motorola Solutions,

G4S, Elbit Systems, and Veolia Envi-

ronnement, among others, provide

electronic and data services to maintain

checkpoints, materials to build the

illegal “apartheid wall,’ bulldozers that

are used to demolish Palestinian homes

and olive groves in violation of interna-

tional law, and weapons systems that

are used against Palestinians in violation

of our own Arms Export Control Act

prohibiting the use of U.S. weapons and

military aid against civilians.

I know something about the “facts on

the ground” in the West Bank and East

Jerusalem, having spent the better part

of January 2012 visiting the region. I

witnessed first-hand the checkpoints,

the separation wall, the crumbling, half-

constructed buildings, the fatigue-clad

and heavily armed Israeli security forces

checking IDs, the freshly paved settler

roads, the ever-expanding Jewish settle-

ments rising from hilltops laying siege

on Palestinian villages below. I heard

testimony from Palestinian families

forced out of their homes in the Sheikh

Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem;

walked through the souk in Hebron

littered with bricks and garbage and

human feces thrown at Palestinian

merchants by messianic settlers; negoti-

ated the narrow, muddy pathways sepa-

rating overcrowded multi-storied shacks

in the refugee camps in Nablus or Jenin

or Bethlehem; met mothers who had to

give birth on the side of the road or

watched their severely ill children die

for want of emergency care because

they were held up at an Israeli check-

point; spoke with parents whose boys

had been detained, maimed, or even

killed for throwing rocks at tanks.

I also know something about the value

of divestment as a non-violent strategy

for social justice. (And I will add, as one

who spent part of my childhood in

Seattle, Washington, in the shadows of

your great institution, I do know that

UW and your city have a long and noble

history of promoting the principles of

social justice.) Thirty years ago, as a

UCLA graduate student, president of

our campus’s African Activist Associa-

tion, and chair of the Los Angeles Ad

Hoc Committee to Keep South Africa

Out of the Olympics, I added my voice

to the movement calling on the Univer-

sity of California to divest its holdings

from apartheid South Africa. This was

my generation’s “Boycott, Sanctions,

Divestment” moment, and many of us

put our bodies on the line building

makeshift shanty towns on campus and

sitting in at the South African Consulate

in Beverly Hills. The movement was

not popular at first, but we educated our

community, built momentum, and by

the summer of 1986 succeeded in per-

suading the U.C. Regents to divest its

$3.1 billion worth of holdings from

South Africa and Namibia. Although it

took nine years, and the University of

California took longer to divest than

most major banks (including Citibank,

Chase Manhattan, and Barclays), its

leaders ultimately decided to abide by

the wishes of the students and faculty

and take an ethical stance against apart-

heid.

We understood then – and now—that

apartheid did more than strip black

South Africans of voting and civil

April 13, 2014

Dear UW Students and

ASUW Senators,

Robin D. G. Kelley

University of California

Los Angeles

33


rights. The regime dispossessed Afri-

cans from their land, and through legis-

lative and military acts, razed entire

communities and transferred Africans to

government townships and Bantustans.

It was a system of racial classification

and population control that limited the

movement of Africans in towns and

cities, denied them social and economic

privileges based on race, outlawed

organizations that challenged the apart-

heid state, and used violence and deten-

tion to suppress opposition. Israel has

been practicing a form of apartheid

since its inception. After destroying

some 380 Palestinian villages, and

ethnically cleansing Palestinian towns

and neighborhoods in mixed cities in

1948, confiscating land without com-

pensation, Israel passed The Absentees’

Property Law (1950), effectively trans-

ferring all property owned or used by

Palestinian refugees to the state, and

then denied their right to return or re-

claim their losses. The land grab con-

tinued after the 1967 war and military

occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and

East Jerusalem. In violation of the

Fourth Geneva Convention, Jewish

settlements in the Occupied Territories

have expanded exponentially since

1967. Currently, there are over 500,000

settlers living in the West Bank, and at

least 43% of the land has been allocated

to settler regional and local councils,

and therefore is off-limits for Palestin-

ian use.

Furthermore, the most recent violent

racist attacks on African immigrants in

Israel represent some of the worst exam-

ples of human rights violations. Some

60,000 undocumented workers, many

having fled war-torn or economically

devastated countries such as Sudan and

Eritrea, are denied refugee status, sub-

ject to deportation and imprisonment for

up to a year without trial, and endure

horrifying violence from racist mobs.

The South African experience proves

that peace and reconciliation is possible,

but will remain elusive without justice,

nor will it be achieved as long as we

continue to financially support a regime

that violates international law with

impunity. The occupation is illegal, it

perpetuates more than a half century of

dispossession, it does not serve the

interests of the majority of Israeli citi-

zens, and it is costing American citizens

some three billion dollars a year. The

University of Washington, a leading

global light in public higher education,

should not profit from occupation and

dispossession. Divest Now!

Robin D. G. Kelley

Acting Chair

Afro-American Studies IDP

Gary B. Nash Professor of Ameri-

can History

University of California at

Los Angeles

34


April 14, 2014

Regarding: A Resolution to Divest from Companies

Profiting from Violations of International Law and

Human Rights

To whom it may concern;

T his is a letter of support for the

Associated Students of the Uni-

versity of Washington resolution

to divest from companies that are profit-

ing from violations of international law

and human rights in the Occupied Pales-

tinian Territories. As part of the interna-

tional boycott, divestment, and sanction

call, we recognize the responsibility of

universities to invest in a socially con-

scious manner in keeping with the prin-

ciples of the university and we support

efforts to apply economic pressure to

end the Israeli occupation and the egre-

gious treatment of Palestinians in the

territories. As a health and human

rights delegation, we have visited Israel

and the West Bank annually for the past

ten years and understand the on-the-

ground realities of the occupation, the

high cost to the Palestinian population,

and the unwillingness of the Israeli gov-

ernment to engage in meaningful politi-

cal change. We understand that our

support of global corporations that are

the instruments of occupation and sup-

pression of the Palestinian population

make us all culpable and that is the re-

sponsibility of institutions concerned

with justice to support the nonviolent

resistance movements that are working

to end these injustices. For these rea-

sons, we applaud the courage of the

University of Washington students and

hope that the university will act posi-

tively on their resolution.

Alice Rothchild, MD

Co-organizer

American Jews for a Just Peace,

Health and Human Rights Project

www.ajjpboston.org

Dear allies at ASUW,

W e write from the other side

of the US in support of

your proposed Resolution

to Divest from Companies Profiting

from Violations of International Law

and Human Rights. We are proud to

have you join the global movement to

impose boycotts, sanctions and divest-

ment initiatives against Israel in order

to force it to meet its obligation to rec-

ognize the Palestinian people's right to

self-determination and fully comply

with international law. BDS has been

endorsed by over 170 Palestinian par-

ties, organizations, trade unions, and

movements representing Arab-

Palestinian citizens of Israel, and it is

the most effective non-violent and

morally consistent means of achieving

justice and genuine peace in the region

through concrete international pres-

sure.

In solidarity,

Adalah-NY

Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign

for the Boycott of Israel is a local,

grassroots, non-hierarchical volunteer-

only group of concerned individuals

that advocates for justice, equality, and

human rights for the Palestinian people

through educational activities and cam-

paign-building.

Dr. Alice Rothchild

Physician, Author,

Activist

AJJP-Boston is dedi-

cated to furthering a

just and peaceful reso-

lution to the Israeli/

Palestinian conflict, a

resolution that will

provide justice, safety,

security and freedom for

Jews, Palestinians, and

others living in the

region.

35


I emphatically endorse the well-

crafted and principled divestment

resolution put forth by Students

United for Palestinian Equal Rights

(SUPER) at the University of Washing-

ton.

We must not see UW’s pledge of being

“compassionate and committed to the

active pursuit of global engagement and

connectedness” as mere words on the

page. UW Students have taken a bold

step in refusing to stand idly by as their

university likely invests in corporations

that profit off an internationally con-

demned occupation that is defined by

land theft, illegal settlements, segre-

gated roads, home demolitions, separa-

tion walls, and consistent violations of

international law.

South African Archbishop Desmond

Tutu, supporter of campus divestment,

famously proclaimed, “If you are neu-

tral in situations of injustice, you have

chosen the side of the oppressor.” I ap-

plaud the tremendous efforts by SUPER

UW and urge the ASUW to absorb the

clear case for divestment in the resolu-

tion presented. Standing on the right

side of history and against complicity in

systems of oppression is always the

right thing to do, from the Jim Crow

South to Apartheid South Africa to oc-

cupation in Palestine. As members of

the global community, it is essential

that we cut our direct lines of complic-

ity with human rights violations. Di-

vestment is the next step. The time for

action is now.

Letter of support from Remi Kanazi

Sincerely,

Remi Kanazi

Poet and Writer

We must not see UW’s

pledge of being

“compassionate and

committed to the active

pursuit of global

engagement and

connectedness” as mere

words on the page.

36


Dear University of Washington Students,

A s a national coalition of more

than 400 groups around the

country that support freedom,

justice, and equality for all, we are writ-

ing to thank you for your efforts to pass

a resolution at the University of Wash-

ington calling for divestment from com-

panies that profit from occupation and

apartheid and are complicit in Israel’s

crimes against the Palestinian people.

Every day Palestinians suffer ongoing

displacement, discrimination, and exile

as a consequence of Israel’s abusive

policies. Whether it’s Palestinians living

under brutal military occupation in the

West Bank and Gaza, or Palestinian

refugees who cannot return to their

lands because they have the wrong eth-

nic or religious background, or Palestin-

ian citizens of Israel who face more than

50 laws enshrining their status as second

-class citizens, Palestinians have been

denied their rights and dignity by Israel

for several decades.

In 2005 more than 170 Palestinian civil

society groups issued a call for boycotts,

divestment, and sanctions (BDS) target-

ing Israel and institutions complicit in

its oppressive policies towards Palestini-

ans until it complies with international

law. With the failure of the international

community to hold Israel accountable

for its actions, BDS promotes time-

honored and respected tactics used to

achieve justice, including in the U.S.

Civil Rights and South Africa Anti-

Apartheid movements.

One example of the complicity of cor-

porations in Israel’s oppression is Cater-

pillar. The company’s bulldozers are

one of the most destructive weapons

Israel utilizes to maintain its military

occupation. These machines are used

daily to demolish Palestinian homes,

uproot Palestinian olive trees, build

illegal Jewish-only settlements on stolen

Palestinian lands, and construct the

apartheid wall. Since 1967 more than

25,000 Palestinian homes have been

destroyed and estimated 800,000 olive

trees have been uprooted, which is equal

to 33 Central Parks. On March 16, 2003,

23-year-old American peace activist and

Washington resident Rachel Corrie was

run over and killed by a Caterpillar D9

bulldozer as she was trying to protect a

Palestinian home from being demol-

ished while the family was inside.

In the past nine years, people of con-

science worldwide, especially students,

have responded to the Palestinian call

for action by pursuing local BDS cam-

paigns. Campuses have been at the fore-

front of social justice struggles through-

out history, even when doing so was

unpopular. As with all social justice

movements, there will be those who

oppose your efforts by accusing you of

being divisive and pushing for the need

to be neutral. The fact is that refusing to

divest is in itself a political stance in

support of human rights abuses. There is

no “not taking a side” in this situation:

there is the side of justice and the status

quo of injustice. Those working for

Palestinian rights are not the ones sin-

gling out Israel. It is the U.S. govern-

ment that singles Israel out by funding

April 20, 2014

37


its occupation and apartheid with bil-

lions of dollars in military aid annually.

It is university student governments that

single Israel out when they pass resolu-

tions about fossil fuels, the prison indus-

trial complex, and human rights abuses

in other countries but decline to take up

Israel’s very clearly documented viola-

tions of international law.

After the end of apartheid in South Af-

rica, Nelson Mandela made clear: “The

UN took a strong stand against apart-

heid; and over the years, an interna-

tional consensus was built, which

helped to bring an end to this iniquitous

system. But we know too well that our

freedom is incomplete without the free-

dom of the Palestinians.”

We cheer you on in your stand with

Palestinians in their struggle against

Israeli occupation, apartheid, and colo-

nization. We applaud your efforts to

continue UW’s proud record of divest-

ment from companies that profit from

oppression and human rights abuses,

including Apartheid in South Africa

genocide in Sudan.

Sincerely,

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

A national coalition working to end

all U.S. support for Israeli occupa-

tion and apartheid policies towards

Palestinians.

38


To whom it may concern:

W e, the undersigned faculty

from universities around the

coun t ry , sa lu t e and

commend the efforts of Students United

for Palestinian Equal Rights at the

University of Washington, Seattle, to

get the UW Student Senate to pass a

measured and thoughtful motion to

divest from corporations that profit from

the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

We agree with the motion in its

recognition that the Israeli occupation is

both illegal under international law and

involves extensive and ongoing

violations of human rights and

international law that are systemic in

nature and thoroughly documented by a

range of internationally respected

organizations. Corporations that

collaborate with and profit from the

occupation are themselves therefore

complicit in the perpetration of human

rights violations. Furthermore, we

endorse the statement that a decision to

divest from corporations that profit from

these fundamental violations is and

should be in keeping with the

commitment to respect for human

rights, non-discrimination and ethical

values that is a cornerstone of any

university’s moral and intellectual

mission. It is clearly in keeping with the

University of Washington’s own stated

commitment to “the active pursuit of

global engagement and connectedness”

and to fostering “engaged and

responsible citizenship”.

We therefore urge the Student Senate at

the University of Washington, Seattle,

to live up to these ethical principles and

to pass the divestment resolution.

Sincerely,

Joel Beinin Stanford University

Eduardo Cadava Princeton University

Mary Yu Danico California State University, Pomona

Colin Dayan, Vanderbilt University

Erica Edwards, University of California Riverside

Alessandro

Fornazzari, University of California, Riverside

Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawai’i

Jess Ghannam, University of California, San Francisco

Terri Ginsberg, International Council for Middle East Studies

Corporations that

collaborate with

and profit from

the occupation

are themselves

therefore

complicit in the

perpetration of

human rights

violations.

A letter of support from faculty around the country: April 14, 2014

39


Macarena Gomez-Barrís University of Southern California Barbara Harlow University of Texas, Austin

Linda Hess Stanford University College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Riverside, CA 92521

Cheryl

Higashida University of Colorado, Boulder

Nasser Hussain Amherst College

Robin D. Kelley University of California Los Angeles J. Kehaulani Kauanui Wesleyan University

Jodi Kim University of California Riverside

David Klein California State University, Northridge

Dennis Kortheuer California State University, Long Beach

Mariam Lam University of California Riverside

David Lloyd University of California Riverside

Alex Lubin University of New Mexico

Sunanina Maira University of California, Davis Frederick C. Moten University of California, Riverside

Bill Mullen Purdue University Nadine Suleiman Naber University of Illinois, Chicago David Palumbo-Liu Stanford University

Laura Pulido University of Southern California

Dylan Rodriguez University of California Riverside

Jeff Sacks University of California Riverside

Steven Salaita Virginia Tech

Sarita See University of California Riverside

Freya Schiwy University of California, Riverside

Malini Johar

Schueller University of Florida, Gainesville

Snehal Shingavi University of Texas, Austin

Rajini Srikanth University of Massachusetts Boston

Neferti Tadiar Barnard College

Nikhil Singh New York University

40


41


W e are Israeli citizens, active against our government’s policies of racism, occupation, and

apartheid. Following the Palestinian civil society call for BDS, we have come to the con-

clusion that an international campaign of divestment from companies, which are complicit

in these policies and profit from them, is a crucial tool in bringing about peace and justice to the peo-

ple living in Israel/Palestine.

We thank SUPER (students united for Palestinian equal rights) at the University of Washington whole-

heartedly for promoting human rights through this divestment initiative. We call on THE ASSOCI-

ATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON to endorse SUPER's proposal.

The Israeli Committee

Against House Demolitions

(ICAHD + ICAHD USA)

http://www.icahd.org/

To whom it may concern,

U S-led negotiations of a Palestinian state have finally

failed, leaving concerned citizens around the world

wondering if and when the occupation and regime of

institutionalized discrimination governing the lives of Pales-

tinians will ever end. Fortunately, there is a recourse, a non-

violent one, that enables all of us to campaign for the equal

rights of a people that has been dispossessed, exploited and

besieged. Palestinian civil society has urged American citi-

zens - the chief patron of their occupation - to divest from

corporations that violate their human rights. It is in the spirit

of this call to our conscience that the University of Washing-

ton chapter of SUPER has introduced its divestment resolu-

tion.

As students and members of the UW community, this resolu-

tion offers you the opportunity to end your complicity in the

denial of the most basic rights to Palestinians. More impor-

tantly, it helps forge one of the few remaining paths forward

towards equality for everyone living in Israel-Palestine. Act

on your conscience and support this inherently democratic,

deeply humane campaign of non-compliance with injustice.

Max Blumenthal

Max Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist whose arti-cles and video documentaries have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Daily Beast, The Nation, and many other publications. His book, “Republican Gomorrah: Inside The Movement That

Shattered The Party” (Nation Books, 2010) was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller. His newest book is called “Goliath: Life and Loath-

ing in Greater Israel.”

From Israeli Activists (Boycott from Within, ICAHD)

Boycott! Supporting the

Palestinian BDS Call

from Within (aka Boycott

from Within)

http://boycottisrael.info/

Letter to UW from journalist Max Blumenthal

Photo by

Aditya

Ganapathiraju

42


My dear Palestinian brothers and sisters,

I have come to your land and I have

recognized shades of my own. My

land was once one where some peo-

ple imagined that they could build their

security on the insecurity of others.

They claimed that their lighter skin and

European origins gave them the right to

dispossess those of a darker skin who

lived in the land for thousands of years.

I come from a land where a group of

people, the Afrikaners, were genuinely

hurt by the British. The British despised

them and placed many of them into con-

centration camps. Nearly a sixth of their

population perished.

Then the Afrikaners said, "Never

again!" And they meant that never again

will harm come unto them with no re-

gard to how their own humanity was

tied to that of others. In their hurt they

developed an understanding of being

God's chosen people destined to inhabit

a Promised Land. And thus they occu-

pied the land, other people's land, and

they built their security on the insecurity

of black people. Later they united with

the children of their former enemies --

now called "the English." The new al-

lies, known simply as "whites," pitted

themselves against the blacks who were

forced to pay the terrible price of dis-

possession, exploitation and marginali-

zation as a result of a combination of

white racism, Afrikaner fears and ideas

of chosen-ness. And, of course, there

was the ancient crime of simple greed.

I come from apartheid South Africa.

Arriving in your land, the land of Pales-

tine, the sense of deja vu is inescapable.

I am struck by the similarities. In some

ways, all of us are the children of our

histories. Yet, we may also choose to be

struck by the stories of others. Perhaps

this ability is what is called morality.

We cannot always act upon what we see

but we always have the freedom to see

and to be moved.

I come from a land where people braved

onslaughts of bulldozers, bullets, ma-

chine guns and tear gas for the sake of

freedom. We resisted at a time when it

was not fashionable. And now that we

have been liberated everyone declares

that they were always on our side. It's a

bit like Europe after the Second World

War. During the war only a few people

resisted. After the war not a single sup-

porter of the Nazis could be found and

the vast majority claimed that they al-

ways supported the resistance to the

Nazis.

I am astonished at how ordinarily decent

people whose hearts are otherwise "in

the right place" beat about the bush

when it comes to Israel and the dispos-

session and suffering of the Palestinians.

And now I wonder about the nature of

" d e c e n c y . " D o " o b j e c t i v i t y , "

"moderation," and seeing "both sides"

not have limits? Is moderation in mat-

ters of clear injustice really a virtue? Do

both parties deserve an "equal hearing"

in a situation of domestic violence --

wherein a woman is beaten up by a male

who was abused by his father some time

ago -- because he, too, is a "victim?"

We call upon the world to act now

against the dispossession of the Pales-

tinians. We must end the daily humilia-

tion at checkpoints, the disgrace of an

Apartheid Wall that cuts people off

from their land, livelihood and history,

and act against the torture, detention

without trial and targeted killings of

those who dare to resist. Our humanity

demands that we who recognize evil in

its own time act against it even when it

is "unsexy" to do so. Such recognition

and action truly benefits our higher

selves. We act in the face of oppression,

Do “objectivity,”

“moderation,”

and seeing “both

sides” not have

limits?

Farid Esack

University of

Johannesburg

A letter to the

Palestinian

people

43


dispossession, or occupation so that our

own humanity may not be diminished

by our silence when some part of the

human family is being demeaned. If

something lessens your worth as a hu-

man being, then it lessens mine as well.

To act in your defense is really to act in

defense of my "self" -- whether my

higher present self or my vulnerable

future self.

Morality is about the capacity to be

moved by interests beyond one's own

ethnic group, religious community, or

nation. When one's view of the world

and dealings with others are entirely

shaped by self-centeredness -- whether

in the name of religion, survival, secu-

rity, or ethnicity -- then it is really only

a matter of time before one also be-

comes a victim. While invoking "real

life" or realpolitik as values themselves,

human beings mostly act in their own

self-interest even as they seek to deploy

a more ethically-based logic in doing so.

Thus, while it is oil or strategic advan-

tage that you are after, you may invoke

the principle of spreading democracy, or

you may justify your exploitation of

slavery with the comforting rationaliza-

tion that the black victims of the system

might have died of starvation if they had

been left in Africa. Being truly human --

a mensch -- is something different. It is

about the capacity to transcend narrow

interests and to understand how a deep-

ening of humanness is linked to the

good of others. When apartness is ele-

vated to dogma and ideology, when

apartness is enforced through the law

and its agencies, this is called apartheid.

When certain people are privileged sim-

ply because they are born to a certain

ethnic group and use these privileges to

dispossess and discriminate against oth-

ers then this is called apartheid. Regard-

less of how genuine the trauma that

gave birth to it and regardless of the

religious depth of the exclusivist beliefs

underpinning it all, it is called apartheid.

How we respond to our own trauma and

to the indifference or culpability of the

world never justifies traumatizing others

or an indifference to theirs. Apartness

then not only becomes a foundation for

ignorance of the other with whom one

shares a common space. It also becomes

a basis for denying the suffering and

humiliation that the other undergoes.

We do not deny the trauma that the op-

pressors experienced at any stage in

their individual or collective lives; we

simply reject the notion that others

should become victims as a result of it.

We reject the manipulation of that suf-

fering for expansionist political and ter-

ritorial purposes. We resent having to

pay the price of dispossession because

an imperialist power requires a reliable

ally in this part of the world.

As South Africans, speaking up about

the life or death for the Palestinian peo-

ple is also about salvaging our own

dream of a moral society that will not be

complicit in the suffering of other peo-

ple. There are, of course, other instances

of oppression, dispossession and mar-

ginalization in the world. Yet, none of

these are as immediately recognizable to

us who lived under, survived and over-

came apartheid. Indeed, for those of us

who lived under South African apart-

heid and fought for liberation from it

and everything that it represented, Pal-

estine reflects in many ways the unfin-

ished business of our own struggle.

Thus, I and numerous others who were

involved in the struggle against apart-

heid have come here and we have wit-

nessed a place that in some ways re-

minds us of what we have suffered

through. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is

of course correct when he speaks about

how witnessing the conditions of the

Palestinians "reminded me so much of

We do not deny

the trauma that

the oppressors

experienced at

any stage in their

individual or

collective lives.

44


what happened to us black people in

South Africa ... I say why are our

memories so short? Have our Jewish

sisters and brothers forgotten their hu-

miliation?" But yet in more ways than

one, here in your land, we are seeing

something far more brutal, relentless

and inhuman than what we have ever

seen under apartheid. In some ways, my

brothers and sisters, I am embarrassed

that you have to resort to using a word

that was earlier on used specifically for

our situation, in order to draw attention

to yours.

White South Africa did of course seek

to control blacks. However it never tried

to deny black people their very exis-

tences or to wish them away completely

as we see here. We have not experi-

enced military occupation without any

rights for the occupied. We were spared

the barbaric and diverse forms of collec-

tive punishment in the forms of house

demolitions, the destruction of orchards

belonging to relatives of suspected free-

dom fighters, or the physical transfer of

these relatives themselves. South Af-

rica's apartheid courts never legitimized

torture. White South Africans were

never given a carte blanche to humiliate

black South Africans as the settlers here

seem to have. The craziest apartheid

zealots would never have dreamed of

something as macabre as this wall. The

apartheid police never used kids as

shields in any of their operations. Nor

did the apartheid army ever use gun-

ships and bombs against largely civilian

targets. In South Africa the whites were

a stable community and after centuries

simply had to come to terms with black

people. (Even if it were only because of

their economic dependence on black

people.) The Zionist idea of Israel as the

place for the ingathering for all the Jews

-- old and new, converts, reverts and

reborn -- is a deeply problematic one. In

such a case there is no sense of compul-

sion to reach out to your neighbor. The

idea seems to be to get rid of the old

neighbors -- ethnic cleansing -- and to

bring in new ones all the time.

We as South Africans resisting apart-

heid understood the invaluable role of

international solidarity in ending centu-

ries of oppression. Today we have no

choice but to make our contribution to

the struggle of the Palestinians for free-

dom. We do so with the full awareness

that your freedom will also contribute to

the freedom of many Jews to be fully

human in the same way that the end of

apartheid also signaled the liberation of

white people in South Africa. At the

height of our own liberation struggle,

we never ceased to remind our people

that our struggle for liberation is also for

the liberation of white people. Apartheid

diminished the humanity of white peo-

ple in the same way that gender injus-

tice diminishes the humanity of males.

The humanity of the oppressor is re-

claimed through liberation and Israel is

no exception in this regard. At public

rallies during the South African libera-

tion struggle the public speaker of the

occasion would often call out: "An in-

jury to one!" and the crowd would re-

spond: "Is an injury to all!" We under-

stood that in a rather limited way at that

time. Perhaps we are destined to always

understand this in a limited way. What

we do know is that an injury to the Pal-

estinian people is an injury to all. An

injury inflicted on others invariably

comes back to haunt the aggressors; it is

not possible to tear at another's skin and

not to have one's own humanity simulta-

neously diminished in the process. In

the face of this monstrosity, the Apart-

heid Wall, we offer an alternative: soli-

darity with the people of Palestine. We

pledge our determination to walk with

you in your struggle to overcome sepa-

ration, to conquer injustice and to put

end to greed, division and exploitation.

45


We have seen that our yesterday's op-

pressed -- both in apartheid South Af-

rica and in Israel today -- can become

today's oppressors. Thus we stand by

you in your vision to create a society

wherein everyone, regardless of their

ethnicity, or religion, shall be equal and

live in freedom.

We continue to draw strength from the

words of Nelson Mandela, the father of

our nation and hero of the Palestinian

people. In 1964 he was found guilty on

charges of treason and faced the death

penalty. He turned to the judges and

said: "I have fought against white domi-

nation, and I have fought against black

domination. I have cherished the ideal

of a democratic and free society in

which all persons live together in har-

mony and with equal opportunities. It is

an ideal which I hope to live for and to

achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for

which I am prepared to die."

.

Farid Esack is a writer, scholar and human rights

activist, well-known for his opposition to apartheid

and his appointment by Nelson Mandela as a gen-

der equity commissioner. He has taught at many

universities, including Harvard University and Xavier

University in the US, the University of the Western

Cape in South Africa and Vrije Universiteit in Am-

sterdam. This open letter has been sprayed entirely

on the wall in Palestine.

Farid Esack

“We know too well that our

freedom is not complete

without the freedom of the

Palestinians.”

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid campaigner, elder

statesman, Nobel Peace Laureate,

global activist

46


Dear University of Arizona Community,

I am writing today to express my

wholehearted support of the stu-

dents in No Más Muertes/No More

Deaths humanitarian/migrant-rights

group and their institutional statement

advocating divestment or business sev-

erance from the Caterpillar and Mo-

torola corporations. I appreciate their

insistence for your school to terminate

this relationship on the grounds of these

companies providing military-style

technology and assistance to U.S. forces

committing systematic abuses in Ari-

zona and nationwide. I also think it is

important that the students are high-

lighting these same companies that pro-

vide similar technology and assistance

for Israel to use in its illegal military

occupation and settlement of Palestinian

lands.

When an immigrant is criminalized in

Arizona or elsewhere in the U.S. for not

having the right papers as he tries to

make a living, I stand with him. When

a Palestinian man stands for hours at an

Israeli military checkpoint in order to

get to his job and make a living, I stand

with him. And I ask you to stand with

me, with them, as the students are at the

threshold of a new movement that seeks

justice by withdrawing support for in-

justice.

I am not speaking from an ivory

tower. Degradation and humiliation of

innocent people harassed over their

“legal” status and documentation was

prevalent throughout the reign of Apart-

heid. We lived it—police waking an

individual up in the middle of the night

and hauling him/her off to jail for not

having his/her documents on hand while

s/he slept. The fact that they were in

his/her nightstand near the bed was not

good enough.

In South Africa, we could not have

achieved our freedom and just peace

without the help of people around the

world, who, through the use of non-

violent means, such as boycotts and

divestment, encouraged their govern-

ments and other corporate actors to re-

verse decades-long support for the

Apartheid regime. Students played a

leading role in that struggle, and I write

this letter with a special indebtedness to

and earnest gratitude for your school,

the University of Arizona, for its role in

advocating equality in South Africa and

promoting corporate ethical and social

responsibility to end complicity in

Apartheid.

The same issue of equality is what moti-

vates the students’ divestment move-

ment today, linking the issues of immi-

grant/indigenous rights in the U.S. and

the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The

movement students are leading in Ari-

zona to better the conditions there and

in Palestine is politically refreshing and

should be an inspiration to us all.

It was with immense joy that I learned

of the massive mock apartheid wall the

students erected through your campus to

bring these issues to the forefront. The

students cleverly label their mock bor-

der wall “Concrete Connections” to

symbolize the intersection of interests

that guide U.S. policy in militarized

Arizona and in Israeli-occupied Pales-

tine.

I was reminded of how similarly

touched I was when I visited American

campuses like yours in the 1980s and

saw students creating mock shanty

Letter From Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Support For University of Arizona

Divestment Campaign

47


Archbishop Emeritus

Desmond Tutu

towns and demonstrating in the baking

sun to protest the brutal conditions of

Apartheid. Is my hope that the creative

action by the students will inspire a new

movement of mock walls dividing cam-

puses across the U.S. to show how the

militarized border not only runs along

Arizona and the Southwestern region

but everywhere in the United States

where communities of immigrants, in-

digenous peoples and ethnic minorities

are raided, abused or exploited. Such

demonstrations can also show that in

every corner of the United States sits the

potential to help end the Israeli occupa-

tion by withdrawing U.S. funding and

support which makes it possible.

The abuses faced by people in Arizona

and in Palestine are real, and no person

should be offended by principled, mor-

ally consistent, non-violent acts to op-

pose them. It is no more wrong to call

out the U.S. governments—at the fed-

eral and Arizona state levels—for their

abuses in Arizona and throughout the

country than it was to call out the Apart-

heid regime for its abuses. Nor is it

wrong to single out Israel for its abuses

in the occupied Palestinian territory as it

was to single out the Apartheid regime

for its abuses.

I am writing to tell you that, despite

what detractors may allege, the students

are on the right track and are doing the

right thing. They are doing the moral

thing. They are doing that which is

incumbent on them as humans who be-

lieve that all people have dignity and

rights, and that all those being denied

their dignity and rights deserve the soli-

darity of their fellow human beings.

With these truths and principles in

mind, I join with the students in No Más

Muertes and implore your school to

divest any form of business investment,

whether stocks, bonds, or other business

agreements, from companies such as

Caterpillar and Motorola, as a symbolic

gesture of non-participation in condi-

tions and practices that are abomina-

ble. To those who wrongly accuse us of

unfairness or harm done to them by this

call for divestment, I suggest, with hu-

mility, that the harm suffered from be-

ing confronted with opinions that chal-

lenge one’s own pales in comparison to

the harm done by living a life under

occupation and daily denial of basic

rights and dignity.

It is not with rancor that we criticize the

Israeli and U.S./AZ governments, but

with hope, a hope that a better future

can be made for both Israelis and Pales-

tinians—for migrant, indigenous, and all

peoples regardless of immigration

status; a future in which both the vio-

lence of the occupier and the resulting

violent resistance of the occupied come

to an end, and where one people need

not rule over another, engendering suf-

fering, humiliation, and retaliation. True

peace must be anchored in justice and

an unwavering commitment to universal

rights for all humans, regardless of eth-

nicity, religion, gender, national origin

or any other identity attribute, including

national citizenship. Students are help-

ing to pave that path to a just peace and

they deserve your support. I encourage

you to stand firm on the side of what is

right.

God bless you.

48


"You will have no protection."

- Medgar Evers to Civil Rights Activ-

ists in Mississippi, shortly before he

was assassinated on June 12, 1963.

M y heart is breaking; but I do

not mind.

For one thing, as soon as I

wrote those words I was able to weep,

which I had not been able to do since

learning of the attack by armed Israeli

commandos on defenseless peace ac-

tivists carrying aid to Gaza who tried

to fend them off using chairs and

sticks. I am thankful to know what it

means to be good; I know that the

people of the Freedom Flotilla are/

were, in some cases, some of the best

people on earth. They have not stood

silently by and watched the destruc-

tion of others, brutally, sustained,

without offering themselves, weap-

onless except for their bodies, to the

situation. I am thankful to have a long

history of knowing people like this

from my earliest years, beginning in

my student days of marches and dem-

onstrations: for peace, for non-

separation among peoples, for justice

for Women, for People of Color, for

Cubans, for Animals, for Indians, and

for Her, the planet.

I am weeping for the truth of Medgar's

statement; so brave and so true. I weep

for him gunned down in his carport,

not far from where I would eventually

live in Mississippi, with a box of t-

shirts in his arms that said: 'Jim Crow

Must Go.' Though trained in the

United States Military under racist

treatment one cringes to imagine, he

remained a peaceful soldier in the

army of liberation to the end. I weep

and will always weep, even through

the widest smiles, for the beautiful

young wife, Myrlie Evers, he left be-

hind, herself still strong and focused

on the truth of struggle; and for their

children, who lost their father to a fate

they could not possibly, at the time,

understand. I don't think any of us

could imagine during that particular

phase of the struggle for justice, that

we risked losing not just our lives,

which we were prepared to give, but

also our children, who we were not.

Nothing protected Medgar, nor will

anything protect any of us; nothing but

our love for ourselves and for others

whom we recognize unfailingly as

also ourselves. Nothing can protect us

but our lives. How we have lived

them; what battles, with love and

compassion our only shield, we have

engaged. And yet, the moment of real-

izing we are truly alone, that in the

ultimate crisis of our existence our

government is not there for us, is one

of shock. Especially if we have had

the illusion of a system behind us to

which we truly belong. Thankfully I

have never had opportunity to have

this illusion. And so, every peaceful

witnessing, every non-violent confron-

tation has been a pure offering. I do

not regret this at all.

When I was in Cairo last December to

support CODEPINK'S efforts to carry

aid into Gaza I was unfortunately ill

with the flu and could not offer very

much. I lay in bed in the hotel room

and listened to other activists report on

what was happening around the city as

Egypt refused entry to Gaza to the

1400 people who had come for the

accompanying Freedom march. I

heard many distressing things, but

only one made me feel, not exactly

envy, but something close; it was that

Article by Alice Walker

Supporting Boycotts, Divestment and

Sanctions Against Israel

49


the French activists had shown up, en

masse, in front of their embassy and

that their ambassador had come out to

talk to them and to try to make them

comfortable as they set up camp out-

side the building. This small gesture

of compassion for his country's activ-

ists in a strange land touched me pro-

foundly, as I was touched decades ago

when someone in John Kennedy's

white house (maybe the cook) sent out

cups of hot coffee to our line of freez-

ing student and teacher demonstrators

as we tried, with our signs and slogans

and songs, to protect a vulnerable

neighbor, Cuba.

Where have the Israelis put our

friends? I thought about this all night.

Those whom they assassinated on the

ship and those they injured? Is "my"

government capable of insisting on

respect for their dead bodies? Can it

demand that those who are injured but

alive be treated with care? Not only

with care, but the tenderness and

honor they deserve? If it cannot do

this, such a simple, decent thing, of

what use is it to the protection and

healing of the planet? I heard a

spokesman for the United States opine

at the United Nations (not an exact

quote) that the Freedom Flotilla activ-

ists should have gone through other,

more proper, channels, not been con-

frontational with their attempt to bring

aid to the distressed. This is almost

exactly what college administrators

advised half a century ago when stu-

dents were trying to bring down

Apartheid in the South and getting

bullets, nooses, bombings and burn-

ings for our efforts. I felt embarrassed

(to the degree one can permit embar-

rassment by another) to be even

vaguely represented by this man: a

useless voice from the far past. One

had hoped.

The Israeli spin on the massacre: that

the commandos were under attack by

the peace activists and that the whole

thing was like "a lynching" of the

armed attackers, reminds me of a

Redd Foxx joke. I loved Redd Foxx,

for all his vulgarity. A wife caught her

husband in bed with another woman,

flagrant, in the act, skin to skin. The

husband said, probably through pants

of aroused sexual exertion: All right,

go ahead and believe your lying eyes!

It would be fun, were it not tragic, to

compare the various ways the Israeli

government and our media will at-

tempt to blame the victims of this un-

conscionable attack for their own im-

prisonment, wounds and deaths.

So what to do? Rosa Parks sat down

in the front of the bus. Martin Luther

King followed her act of courage with

many of his own, and using his ring-

ing, compassionate voice he aroused

the people of Montgomery, Alabama

to commit to a sustained boycott of

the bus company; a company that re-

fused to allow people of color to sit in

the front of the bus, even if it was

empty. It is time for us, en masse, to

show up in front of our conscience,

and sit down in the front of the only

bus we have: our very lives.

What would that look like, be like,

today, in this situation between Pales-

tine and Israel? This "impasse" that

has dragged on for decades. This

"conflict" that would have ended in a

week if humanity as a whole had acted

in defense of justice everywhere on

the globe. Which maybe we are learn-

ing! It would look like the grand-

daughter of Rosa Parks, the grandson

of Martin Luther King. It would look

like spending our money only where

we can spend our lives in peace and

happiness; freely sharing whatever we

have with our friends.

50


It would be to support Boycott, Divest-

ment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel

to End the Occupation of Gaza and the

West Bank and by this effort begin to

soothe the pain and attend the sorrows

of a people wrongly treated for genera-

tions. This action would also remind

Israel that we have seen it lose its way

and have called to it, often with love,

and we have not been heard. In fact, we

have reached out to it only to encounter

slander, insult and, too frequently, bod-

ily harm.

Disengage, avoid, and withhold support

from whatever abuses, degrades and

humiliates humanity.

This we can do. We the people; who

ultimately hold all the power. We the

people, who must never forget to be-

lieve we can win.

We the people.

It has always been about us; as we

watch governments come and go. It

always will be.

Alice Walker

Author

1983 Winner of Pulitzer Prize

At the 2011 Evergreen State College

graduation ceremony, commencement

speaker Dr. Angela Davis endorsed

efforts by students and alumni at Ever-

green to work in resistance to "a 21st

century resistance to Israeli apartheid"

by pushing for campus divestment. She

also made a prominent commendation

of Rachel Corrie's legacy on the Ever-

green campus.

W hen I accepted the invitation

to speak at your commence-

ment, I responded in the

affirmative because I wanted to associ-

ate myself with a college that has a

deeply progressive tradition. I wanted to

associate myself with students, faculty

and workers who defend the integrity of

the environment, its resources, its

plants, its human and its non-human

animals, and who encourage others to

engage in sustainable living practices.

I wanted to associate myself with an

institution that continues to defend the

spirit and legacy of one of the most

prominent members of its community,

Rachel Corrie. And I think that each

graduating class should take a moment

and reflect on her courage her generos-

ity.

And I'm happy to hear that students and

faculty on this campus, in the context of

a 21st century resistance to Israeli apart-

heid, are following those who stood up

against South African apartheid and are

raising the demand for divestment.

This is a burgeoning movement, and

you here at the Evergreen State College

have the opportunity to provide progres-

sive leadership to the rest of the country.

As the anti-South African apartheid

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alice-walker/

supporting-bds-boycott-di_b_603840.html

TESC Commencement Speaker Angela Davis Endorses Divestment

51


campaign was spurred on by those uni-

versities that divested early on, Michi-

gan State University, in 1978 I believe,

Columbia University, the University of

Wisconsin. And of course, eventually

virtually every school in the country

followed their leadership.

Your education has provided you with

tools to recognize that solidarity with

progressive Palestinian people is also

solidarity with progressive Jewish peo-

ple in Israel.

And I should point out that I attended a

university as an undergraduate which

was founded in the same year as the

state of Israel, Brandeis University, the

majority of whose students were Jewish.

And it was there as an undergraduate

with my Jewish classmates that I

learned how to express solidarity for

Palestinian people. I will never forget

that.

Remember also that, while everyone

now praises Nelson Mandela and ex-

presses joy that the people of South Af-

rica were finally able to defeat apart-

heid, Mandela was not always recog-

nized as this legendary defender of de-

mocracy. In fact, he was represented

initially as a pariah, as a terrorist. Am-

nesty International did not initially sup-

port him because of his association with

Umkhonto we Sizwe. So I want us to

recall that history, to think about it in a

complicated way, and to be aware of the

important role South Africa is playing in

calling for the support of the Boycott

Divestment and Sanctions movement.

And I just want to share with you a very

moving statement by Archbishop Tutu,

who recently sent a message to the

mayor of a town in Australia. The city

council of that town decided to divest,

and received a great deal of criticism as

a result.

"Dear Mayor Fiona Byrne of Marrick-

ville, New South Wales, Australia:

"We in South Africa, who both suffered

under apartheid and defeated it, have

the moral right and responsibility to

name and shame institutionalized sepa-

ration, exclusion, and domination by

one ethnic group over others. In my own

eyes, I have seen how the Palestinians

are oppressed, disposed, and exiled. We

call on all our Jewish and Israeli sisters

and brothers to oppose the Occupation

and work for equality, justice, and

peace between the river and the sea in

the same way that so many South Afri-

can whites took risk to oppose the crime

of Apartheid."

And he concludes by saying,

"Sometimes taking a public stand for

what is ethical and right brings cost, but

social justice on a local or global scale

requires faith and courage."

If there is a skill we all need to acquire

as we attempt to move forward in the

21st century, it is the ability to identity

and act on an awareness of the links and

connections across the range of issues

we identify as crucial for democratic

agendas today.

And so, those of us who call for free-

dom for Palestine acknowledge the con-

nections between the attacks on the Pal-

estinians in their own country and the

racist discourse that relies on unques-

tioned acceptance of Islamophobia,

which in turn is interpreted as necessary

for the success of what has been repre-

sented as a global war on terror.

http://tescdivest.blogspot.com/2012/02/

tesc-commencement-speaker-angela-

davis.html

Dr. Angela Davis

52


“T he Boycott Divestment

and Sanctions movement

is, in fact, a non-violent

movement; it seeks to use established

legal means to achieve its goals; and

it is, interestingly enough, the largest

Palestinian civic movement at this

time. That means that the largest

Palestinian civic movement is a non-

violent one that justifies its actions

through recourse to international law.

Further, I want to underscore that this

is also a movement whose stated core

principles include the opposition to

every form of racism, including both

state-sponsored racism and anti-

Semitism. Of course, we can debate

what anti-Semitism is, in what social

and political forms it is found. I my-

self am sure that the election of self-

identified national socialists to the

Greek parliament is a clear sign of

anti-Semitism; I am sure that the

recirculation of Nazi insignia and

rhetoric by the National Party of Ger-

many is a clear sign of anti-Semitism.

I am also sure that the rhetoric and

actions of Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadi-

nejad are often explicitly anti-

Semitic, and that some forms of Pal-

estinian opposition to Israel do rely

on anti-Semitic slogans, falsehoods

and threats. All of these forms of anti

-Semitism are to be unconditionally

opposed. And I would add, they have

to be opposed in the same way and

with the same tenacity that any form

of racism has to be opposed, includ-

ing state racism…

One could be for the BDS movement

as the only credible non-violent mode

of resisting the injustices committed

by the state of Israel without falling

into the football lingo of being “pro”

Palestine and “anti” Israel. This lan-

guage is reductive, if not embarrass-

ing. One might reasonably and pas-

sionately be concerned for all the

inhabitants of that land, and simply

maintain that the future for any

peaceful, democratic solution for that

region will become thinkable through

the dismantling of the occupation,

through enacting the equal rights of

Palestinian minorities and finding

just and plausible ways for the rights

of refugees to be honored. If one

holds out for these three aims in po-

litical life, then one is not simply

living within the logic of the “pro”

and the “anti”, but trying to fathom

the conditions for a “we”, a plural

existence grounded in equality. What

does one do with one’s words but

reach for a place beyond war, ask for

a new constellation of political life in

which the relations of colonial subju-

gation are brought to a halt. My wa-

ger, my hope, is that everyone’s

chance to live with greater freedom

from fear and aggression will be in-

creased as those conditions of justice,

freedom, and equality are realized.

We can or, rather, must start with how

we speak, and how we listen, with the

right to education, and to dwell criti-

cally, fractiously, and freely in politi-

cal discourse together. Perhaps the

word “justice” will assume new

meanings as we speak it, such that we

can venture that what will be just for

the Jews will also be just for the Pal-

estinians, and for all the other people

living there, since justice, when just,

fails to discriminate, and we savor

that failure.”

Judith Butler

Judith Butler’s Remarks

to Brooklyn College on BDS

http://www.thenation.com/

article/172752/judith-butlers-

remarks-brooklyn-college-bds

Judith Butler

Philosopher and

Gender Theorist

53


54


T he struggle of blacks in South

Africa was destined to succeed,

but their suffering could have

been shortened, relief for millions of

Africans under the brutal apartheid

system could have come earlier if it

wasn't for politicians like Ronald Regan

and Dick Cheney who opposed boycott-

ing the racist regime in South Africa.

The regime of segregation in the South-

ern states of the U.S. was destined to

end. But white racist politicians like

George Wallace stood in the way and

prolonged that suffering.

The Palestinian struggle is destined to

end in victory with freedom and equal

rights for all. Zionism, like apartheid

and segregation is sure to fall. You can

speed up that process or delay it.

When we do not act we prolong the

suffering of children in Gaza, children

who have no access to water fit for

drinking, though there is plenty of water

around them; children without proper

nutrition or the most basic medicine,

though there is no shortage of either just

minutes away. When we do not act we

prolong the sentence of thousands of

political prisoners jailed in Israeli pris-

ons in violation of international law; we

prolong the exile of Palestinians living

in refugee camps around the Middle

East.

Will you be the student senate who

hesitated when tough and principled

choices had to be made? On the issue of

justice and freedom there is no room for

compromise, no room for tolerance.

There must be consequences for re-

gimes and states that choose policies of

violence and discrimination. Vote for

divestment and proudly align yourself

with the great men like Desmond Tutu,

and women like Mairead Maguire who

support it.

Most sincerely yours,

Miko Peled

My name is Miko Peled

I am an Israeli Jew and I support ASUW resolution 20-39.

March 4, 2013

Israeli peace activist, au-

thor, and karate instructor.

Miko was born in Jerusalem

in 1961 into a well known

Zionist family. His grandfa-

ther, Dr. Avraham Katsnel-

son was a Zionist leader

and signer on the Israeli

Declaration of Independ-

ence. His father, Matti Pe-

led was a young officer in

the war of 1948 and a gen-

eral in the war of 1967

when Israel conquered the

West Bank, Gaza, Golan

Heights and the Sinai. He

has written one book, “The

General’s Son: Journey of

an Israeli in Palestine.”

55


56


Justice for Palestine:

A Call to Action from

Indigenous and Women of

Color Feminists

Why We, as Women of Color, Join the Call for Divestment from Israel

B etween June 14 and June 23, 2011, a delegation of 11 scholars, activists, and art-

ists visited occupied Palestine. As indigenous and women of color feminists involved in multiple so-cial justice struggles, we sought to affirm our association with the growing international movement for a free Palestine. We wanted to see for ourselves the conditions under which Palestinian people live and struggle against what we can now confidently name as the Israeli project of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Each and every one of us—including those mem-bers of our delegation who grew up in the Jim Crow South, in apartheid South Africa, and on Indian reser-vations in the U.S.—was shocked by what we saw. In this statement we describe some of our experi-ences and issue an urgent call to others who share our commitment to racial justice, equality, and free-dom.

During our short stay in Palestine, we met with academics, students, youth, leaders of civic organiza-tions, elected officials, trade union-ists, political leaders, artists, and civil society activists, as well as residents of refugee camps and villages that have been recently attacked by Israeli soldiers and settlers. Everyone we encoun-tered—in Nablus, Awarta, Balata,

Jerusalem, Hebron, Dheisheh, Bethlehem, Birzeit, Ramallah, Um el-Fahem, and Haifa—asked us to tell the truth about life under occu-pation and about their unwavering commitment to a free Palestine. We were deeply impressed by people’s insistence on the linkages between the movement for a free Palestine and struggles for justice throughout the world; as Martin Luther King, Jr. insisted throughout his life, “Justice is indivisible. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice eve-rywhere.”

Traveling by bus throughout the country, we saw vast numbers of Israeli settlements ominously perched in the hills, bearing wit-ness to the systematic confiscation of Palestinian land in flagrant vio-lation of international law and United Nations resolutions. We met with refugees across the coun-try whose families had been evicted from their homes by Zion-ist forces, their land confiscated, their villages and olive groves razed. As a consequence of this ongoing displacement, Palestinians comprise the largest refugee popu-lation in the world (over five mil-lion), the majority living within 100 kilometers of their natal homes, villages, and farmlands. In defiance of United Nations Resolu-tion 194, Israel has an active policy of opposing the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral homes and lands on the grounds that they are not entitled to exer-cise the Israeli Law of Return, which is reserved for Jews.

In Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in eastern occupied Jerusalem, we met an 88-year-old woman who was forcibly evicted in the middle

Barbara Ransby, Ph.D.

Professor,

Gender and Women's Studies,

African American Studies &

History

University of Illinois at Chicago

57


of the night; she watched as the Israeli military moved settlers into her house a mere two hours later. Now living in the small back rooms of what was once her large family residence, she defiantly asserted that neither Israel’s courts nor its military could ever force her from her home. In the city of Heb-ron, we were stunned by the con-spicuous presence of Israeli sol-diers, who maintain veritable con-ditions of apartheid for the city’s Palestinian population of almost 200,000, as against its 700 Jewish settlers. We crossed several Israeli checkpoints designed to control Palestinian movement on West Bank roads and along the Green Line. Throughout our stay, we met Palestinians who, because of Is-rael’s annexation of Jerusalem and plans to remove its native popula-tion, have been denied entry to the Holy City. We spoke to a man who lives ten minutes away from Jeru-salem but who has not been able to enter the city for twenty-seven years. The Israeli government thus continues to wage a demographic war for Jewish dominance over the Palestinian population.

We were never able to escape the jarring sight of the ubiquitous apartheid wall, which stands in contempt of international law and human rights principles. Con-structed of twenty-five-foot-high concrete slabs, electrified cyclone fencing, and winding razor wire, it almost completely encloses the West Bank and extends well east of the Green Line marking Israel’s pre-1967 borders. It snakes its way through ancient olive groves, de-stroying the beauty of the land-scape, dividing communities and families, severing farmers from

their fields and depriving them of their livelihood. In Abu Dis, the wall cuts across the campus of Al Quds University through the soccer field. In Qalqiliya, we saw massive gates built to control the entry and access of Palestinians to their lands and homes, including a gated corri-dor through which Palestinians with increasingly rare Israeli-issued permits are processed as they enter Israel for work, sustain-ing the very state that has displaced them. Palestinian children are forced through similar corridors, lining-up for hours twice each day to attend school. As one Palestinian colleague put it, “Occupied Pales-tine is the largest prison in the world.”

An extensive prison system bol-sters the occupation and suppresses resistance. Everywhere we went we met people who had either been imprisoned themselves or had rela-tives who had been incarcerated. Twenty thousand Palestinians are locked inside Israeli prisons, at least 8,000 of them are political prisoners and more than 300 are children. In Jerusalem, we met with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who are being protected from arrest by the Inter-national Committee of the Red Cross. In Um el-Fahem, we met with an Islamist leader just after his release from prison and heard a riveting account of his experience on the Mavi Marmara and the 2010 Gaza Flotilla. The criminalization of their political activity, and that of the many Palestinians we met, was a constant and harrowing theme.

We also came to understand how overt repression is buttressed by

58


deceptive representations of the state of Israel as the most devel-oped social democracy in the re-gion. As feminists, we deplore the Israeli practice of “pink-washing,” the state’s use of ostensible support for gender and sexual equality to dress-up its occupation. In Pales-tine, we consistently found evi-dence and analyses of a more sub-stantive approach to an indivisible justice. We met the President and the leadership of the Arab Feminist Union and several other women’s groups in Nablus who spoke about the role and struggles of Palestin-ian women on several fronts. We visited one of the oldest women’s empowerment centers in Palestine, In’ash al-Usra, and learned about various income-generating cultural projects. We also spoke with Pales-tinian Queers for BDS [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions], young organizers who frame the struggle for gender and sexual justice as part and parcel of a comprehensive framework for self-determination and liberation. Feminist colleagues at Birzeit University, An-Najah University, and Mada al-Carmel spoke to us about the organic link-age of anti-colonial resistance with gender and sexual equality, as well as about the transformative role Palestinian institutions of higher education play in these struggles.

We were continually inspired by the deep and abiding spirit of resis-tance in the stories people told us, in the murals inside buildings such as Ibdaa Center in Dheisheh Refu-gee Camp, in slogans painted on the apartheid wall in Qalqiliya, Bethlehem, and Abu Dis, in the education of young children, and in the commitment to emancipatory knowledge production. At our

meeting with the Boycott National Committee—an umbrella alliance of over 200 Palestinian civil soci-ety organizations, including the General Union of Palestinian Women, the General Union of Pal-estinian Workers, the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel [PACBI], and the Palestinian Network of NGOs—we were hum-bled by their appeal: “We are not asking you for heroic action or to form freedom brigades. We are simply asking you not to be com-plicit in perpetuating the crimes of the Israeli state.”

Therefore, we unequivocally en-dorse the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to pressure Israeli state-sponsored institutions to adhere to international law, basic human rights, and democratic prin-ciples as a condition for just and equitable social relations. We reject the argument that to criticize the State of Israel is anti-Semitic. We stand with Palestinians, an increas-ing number of Jews, and other hu-man rights activists all over the world in condemning the flagrant injustices of the Israeli occupation.

We call upon all of our academic and activist colleagues in the U.S. and elsewhere to join us by endors-ing the BDS campaign and by working to end U.S. financial sup-port, at $8.2 million daily, for the Israeli state and its occupation. We call upon all people of conscience to engage in serious dialogue about Palestine and to acknowledge con-nections between the Palestinian cause and other struggles for jus-tice. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/07/women_of_color_delegation_to_occupied_palestine.html

59


Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies/Race and Resistance Studies and the

Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative

Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University+

Ayoka Chenzira, Atlanta, GA

Angela Y. Davis, University of California, Santa Cruz+

Gina Dent, University of California, Santa Cruz+

G. Melissa Garcia, Ph.D. Candidate, Yale University+

Anna Romina Guevarra, Chicago, IL

Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Atlanta, GA

Premilla Nadasen, New York, NY

Barbara Ransby, Chicago, IL

Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University+

Waziyatawin, University of Victoria+

+For identification purposes only

Dakota writer, teacher, and activist from the Pezihutazizi Otunwe

(Yellow Medicine Village) in southwestern Minnesota.

Postcolonial and transnational feminist theorist; professor of Women’s and

Gender Studies, Sociology, and the Cultural Foundations of Education

Professor of History, African American Studies, and Gender and Women’s

Studies

Associate Professor of History at Queens College, CUNY

Beverly Guy-Sheftall is a Black feminist scholar, Anna Julia Cooper

Professor of Women’s Studies and English at Spelman College, in

Atlanta, Georgia.

Assistant Professor, Sociology and Asian American Studies

Graduate Student in American Studies

Associate Professor of Feminist Studies, History of Consciousness,

and Legal Studies

American political activist, scholar, and author.

artist/educator; an award-winning, internationally acclaimed film and

video artist; a pioneer in Black independent cinema

Signed:

60


28 April 2011

Dear University of Arizona Community,

M y visit to your university in Tuc-

son earlier this month filled me

with utmost joy and reverence,

especially for the youth who are engaged in

one of the most important struggles of our

time—the right to education.

I was glad to hear of the “Right to Education”

tour that my brothers and sisters in Jewish

Voice for Peace (JVP) are organizing around

the nation at this moment. I was similarly

delighted to hear that one of the tour engage-

ments would follow my own talk and focus on

globalizing a preservation and defense of

Ethnic Studies. Arizona is the epicenter of the

struggle for human rights—especially educa-

tional rights. I anticipated that the JVP event

at your university last Thursday would be just

as inspiring as the one in which I had the honor

to participate and was thrilled to find out the

outcome.

At this event brave Ethnic Studies youth activ-

ists in Arizona exchanged their experiences,

triumphs and tribulations with strong Palestin-

ian youth who live a world apart yet whose

struggles are intertwined. The international

fight for education comes from the same deep

place of drawing on cultural and historical

knowledge to build a better world for our

precious children. After all, Ethnic studies is

integral to education, particularly through its

quality of instilling self-confidence in students

who can find out what’s possible in life by

learning about what their own people and

ancestors achieved through decades of strug-

gling through adversity.

A letter from Cornel West

To the University of Arizona, in support of Divestment

Dr. Cornel West

American philosopher, academic,

activist, author, public intellectual, and

prominent member of the Democratic

Socialists of America.

61


Today, these youth are taking education into

their own hands, pulling from the immeasur-

able wisdom of their ancestors. Ethnic Stud-

ies—from Arizona to Palestine—is about the

quest for truth, from the standpoint of the weak

and the vulnerable who are rising up to speak,

to educate, to struggle and to build justice from

the ground up.

The intercontinental meeting that took place on

your campus between these courageous youth

held true to its promise and was a profound

demonstration of love. Bold Arizona youth

who are fending off attacks on their cherished

Ethnic Studies in an environment of racism

and hostility; courageous Palestinian youth

who aim to preserve and defend their own

fragile Ethnic Studies from the violent, cultural

destruction of a vicious, 44-year Israeli occu-

pation—an occupation whose length continu-

ally represses the memory of a peaceful time.

But in recognizing the obstacles and praising

those struggling to overcome them, we would

be remiss not to attempt to trace the origins of

this treachery targeting our youth’s fu-

ture. Attacks on education are big busi-

ness. Greed is amuck in Arizona and in occu-

pied Palestine. U.S. corporations like Caterpil-

lar and Motorola—and others especially in the

prison-Industrial complex—continue to profit

from the suffering of peoples who seek dignity

and self-determination in Arizona. Similar

corporations profit from the misery of occu-

pied and distressed peoples in Palestine.

These corporations should not be profiting

from Palestinian suffering under occupation;

they should not be profiting from immigrant

and indigenous suffering and youth cultural

censorship in Arizona and nationwide. Like

my brother Desmond Tutu wrote in his recent

letter to your community, I also support your

institution’s divestment from corporations

which shamefully engage in criminal activities,

from racist-ridden Arizona to the Israeli-

occupied West Bank and Gaza. It is worth

pointing out that both Caterpillar and Motorola

are involved with a leading pension fund for

educators, TIAA-CREF, which is the focus of

Jewish Voice for Peace in the “Right to Educa-

tion” tour and part of a noble campaign urging

the fund to divest from these corporations.

Powerful social movements such as the one

that helped end South African apartheid have

shown that when world governments fail to

enforce the rule of law, international civil

community must arise to meet the challenge of

upholding fundamental human rights and

securing justice. Ethnic studies youth activists

and groups like Jewish Voice for Peace are

doing just that. As Tutu and many others point

out in the case of the Palestinians—as well as

that of Latina/o immigrants and indigenous

peoples in the U.S.—the tactic of Boycott,

Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) is an effec-

tively nonviolent means of exerting moral and

economic pressures to end unjust policies,

from racial profiling to repressive laws, to

foreign occupation and land settle-

ment. Perhaps the most vulnerable right in

these situations is the right of education, be-

cause of the endangered cultural future it

represents. Those in the United States and

Israel who hold the levers of power and influ-

ence over such policies must be beckoned to

the negotiating table so that vulnerable peoples

can anticipate a peaceful future through living

a just and honorable peace.

A decent education cannot be limited to toler-

ating youth accessing their ethnic and cultural

history but must be about facilitating their right

to do so, without the hindrance of state or

corporate exploiters. The late Edward Said

liked to quote the marvelous Martiniquan poet,

Aimé Césaire, who urged us to remember that

“there is room for everyone at the rendezvous

of victory”—where all of us and our children

can harmonize our lives together in universal

humanity and mutual love.

Sincerely,

Cornel West

62


Petition in Support of Ethical Divestment

W e, UW students, faculty, staff and community members support recent

efforts of students and faculty at other colleges and universities to urge their institutions not to invest in companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. We sign our support towards efforts at the University of Washington and elsewhere that seek to lessen our financial complicity in the abuse of international law and

human rights.

536 signatures as of May 1, 2014

To add your signature to the petition, visit

superuw.org/support-uw-divestment/

A Resolution to Divest from Companies Profiting from Violations of International Law and

Human Rights

ASUW 2014

IN the spirit of transparency, ethical investment, a belief in human rights and the power and

responsibility of students and educational institutions to effect real change, students of

conscience present this resolution:

WHEREAS, the state of Israel, in its ongoing occupation of Palestinian landsi, violates

International Law and Human Rights through practices including, but not limited to:

(a) the construction of a Separation Wallii that annexes Palestinian lands, isolates

Palestinian communities and restricts Palestinian access to basic necessities including

wateriii

, healthcare, education, and employment opportunitiesiv

;

(b) the building and maintenance of Israeli settlements as permanent cities and towns on

land seized from Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in

contradiction of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Hague Regulationsv,

(c) the destruction of Palestinian homesvi

and the forced relocation of Palestinian

familiesvii

;

(d) the disparate and unequal treatment of Palestinian citizens of Israelviii

,

(e) the blockade of the Gaza Strip in a manner that completely controls the movement of

all people and property into and out of the Gaza Strip, by air, sea, and land and denies the

people of Gaza basic shelter, essential medicines, adequate food, clean water, and the

normal infrastructure of a civilized societyix

;

(f) multiple military offensives including ‘Operation Cast Lead’ in 2008, which violated a

negotiated ceasefirex and killed 1,400 people including 320 Palestinian children

xi, and

‘Operation Pillar of Defense’ in 2012 which killed 167 Palestinians, including 32

children and adolescentsxii

WHEREAS, international corporations have been complicit in these ongoing human rights

violations systematically committed by the Israeli government, as has been documented by

human rights organizations including Who Profits, Coalition of Women for Peace, Amnesty

International, Al-Haq, Defense for Children International, B'tselem, and the Israeli Coalition

Against House Demolitions.

WHEREAS, in 2005, in response to such violations, 171 Palestinian civil society organizations

called upon the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine by

supporting Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)xiii

of the state of Israel until the Israeli

government complies with International Law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall.

2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full

equality; and

3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their

homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194xiv

.

WHEREAS, divestment is a nonviolent strategy employed by universitiesxv

, religious

organizationsxvi

, and civil societyxvii

organizations around the world to pressure corporations to

withdraw from business profiting from violations of International Law and Human Rightsxviii

by

withdrawing our implicit consent granted to such violations by investment in their company.

WHEREAS, in Spring 2010 The Evergreen State College student body passed—by a majority of

79%xix—a resolution calling for divestment from companies complicit in the illegal Israeli

occupation of the Palestinian Territories, in part as a response to the killing of Evergreen student,

Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by a Caterpillar bulldozer operated by the Israeli army

in 2003, as she was undertaking non-violent action to protect the home of a Palestinian family

from destruction.

WHEREAS, a percentage of The Evergreen State College endowment holdings are housed

within the UW Consolidated Endowment Fund, meaning Evergreen is unable to fully act on this

call for divestment until the University of Washington also acts.

WHEREAS, Caterpillar knowinglyxx

sells bulldozers specifically designed for the Israeli Army

that are armored and weaponized by the company’s sole representative in Israel and are

systematically used in the demolition of Palestinian homes and civilian infrastructure and in

military attacks on civilians.xxi

WHEREAS, in addition to Caterpillar Inc, the following illustrative and non-exhaustive list of

companies are knowingly and directly complicit in ongoing human rights violations: Northrop

Grummanxxii

, Hewlett-Packardxxiii

, Motorola Solutions,xxiv

G4S,xxv

Elbit Systems,xxvi

and Veolia

Environnement;xxvii

WHEREAS, the University of Washington’s vision states “We are compassionate and committed

to the active pursuit of global engagement and connectedness…We embrace our role to foster

engaged and responsible citizenship as part of the learning experience of our students, faculty

and staff.”

WHEREAS, the University of Washington takes pride in a history of student activism against

injustice, including divesting from South African Apartheid and genocide in Sudan.

WHEREAS, the Associated Students of the University of Washington passed resolution R-18-

19xxviii

stating “THAT, the ASUW solely supports the investment of university money in firms

that are socially responsible; and THAT, the ASUW take steps to create a position or committee

that will work with the UW Treasury office to make recommendations on socially responsible

investment activity;”

** BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF

WASHINGTON: **

THAT, the ASUW requests the University of Washington to examine its financial assets to

identify its investments in companies that provide equipment or services used to directly

maintain, support, or profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, including a) the

demolition of Palestinian homes and the development of illegal Israeli settlements; b) the

building or maintenance of the Separation wall, outposts, and segregated roads and transportation

systems on occupied Palestinian territory, and c) illegal use of weaponry and surveillance

technology by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilian populations, and that those findings

be shared with the ASUW.

THAT, the ASUW requests the University of Washington to instruct its investment managers to

divest from those companies meeting such criteria within the bounds of their fiduciary duties

until such companies cease the practices identified in this Resolution.

THAT, the ASUW calls on the University of Washington to demonstrate its alignment with the

principles of international law, human rights, and student interests by announcing its intent to

divest its endowment from CATERPILLAR Inc. as a first measure.

Further, THAT, the ASUW calls on the University of Washington to work with the Evergreen

State College to implement the divestment resolution passed in 2010 as it pertains to the

Evergreen State College Foundation holdings housed within the UW Consolidated Endowment

Fund.

Finally, THAT, a copy of the resolution be forwarded to UW President Michael Young; UW

Provost Ana Mari Cauce; Faculty Senate Chair John M Lee; the UW Board of Regents; GPSS

President Chris Lizotte; ASUW President Michael Kutz; ASUW Director of University Affairs

Jeffrey McNerney; Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Joshua Bessex; and the 2014-2015 ASUW

leadership.

i “Occupation and International Humanitarian Law: Questions and Answers” International Committee of the Red

Cross. http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/634kfc.htm ii “Humanitarian Impact of the Barrier” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

occupied Palistinian territory (OCHAoPT). 2012.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_factsheet_july_2012_english.pdf “The construction of the

wall being built by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East

erusalem, and its associated r gime, are contrary to international law.” Legal Conse uences of the Construction of a

Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Re uest for advisory opinion)”.; “Legal Conse uences of the

Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” International Court of ustice 2004. http://www.icj-

cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf iii

Israeli Human Rights Organization B’Tselem compiled information on distribution of water resources reports the

une ual distribution of water: “Israelis receive an unlimited water supply, Palestinians receive only about 75% of the

stipulated uota”; Palestinians currently have access to less than the WHO and USAID recommendation of 100

liters of water per person per day. http://www.btselem.org/water/discrimination_in_water_supply

See also page 17 of “Report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of

the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout

the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East erusalem” prepare for presentation to the 22nd

Session of the

Human Rights Council, March 2013.

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/FFM/FFMSettlements.pdf iv “Movement and Access in the West Bank” OCHAoPT September 2011.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_MovementandAccess_FactSheet_September_2011.pdf

“Question of the Violation of Human Rights in the Occupied Arab Territories, Including Palestine.” United Nations

General Assembly, 59th

Session. 12 Aug 2004. Page 16. http://www.refworld.org/docid/4267b5d14.html

“Freedom of Movement—Gaza blockade and West Bank restrictions” Amnesty International Annual Report 2013

https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/report-2013#section-14-3

As Btselem explains, “Freedom of movement is also important because it is a prere uisite for the exercise of other

rights, which are set forth in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Among these are

the right to work (Article 6), the right to an adequate standard of living (Article 11), the right to health (Article 12),

the right to education (Article 13), and the right to protection of family life (Article 10).”

http://www.btselem.org/freedom_of_movement; link to the International Coveneant cited:

http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=3ae6b36c0. v Below are links to relevant international law and humanitarian organizations on why settlements are illegal.

International humanitarian law makes clear that occupation must only be temporary. Israeli settlements are in direct

violation of this principle in International law: Article 49 of the 4th

Geneva Convention forbids an occupier from

transferring its own civilians into the territory it occupies; Article 55 of the Hague Regulations states the occupying

power must safeguard occupied properties and maintain the status quo; Article 43 of the Hague Regulations states

that the occupying power must uphold order and safety while respecting the laws of the occupied country.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention:

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/c525816bde96b7fd41256739003e636a/77068f12b8857c4dc12563cd0051bdb0?OpenDoc

ument

Article 55 of the Hague Regulations: http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebART/195-200065?OpenDocument

Article 43 of the Hague Regulations:

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/b0d5f4c1f4b8102041256739003e6366/3741eab8e36e9274c12563cd00516894?OpenDoc

ument

“The Humanitarian Impact of Israeli Settlement Policies.” OCHAoPt anuary 2012.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settlements_FactSheet_January_2012_english.pdf

“On the Brink.” Oxfam Briefing Paper. 2002. Web <oxfram.org>

http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp160-jordan-valley-settlements-050712-en_1.pdf

http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/634kfc.htm

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_factsheet_july_2012_english.pdf

http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf

http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf

http://www.btselem.org/water/discrimination_in_water_supply

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/FFM/FFMSettlements.pdf

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_MovementandAccess_FactSheet_September_2011.pdf

http://www.refworld.org/docid/4267b5d14.html


http://www.btselem.org/freedom_of_movement

http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=3ae6b36c0

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/c525816bde96b7fd41256739003e636a/77068f12b8857c4dc12563cd0051bdb0?OpenDocument

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/c525816bde96b7fd41256739003e636a/77068f12b8857c4dc12563cd0051bdb0?OpenDocument

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebART/195-200065?OpenDocument

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/b0d5f4c1f4b8102041256739003e6366/3741eab8e36e9274c12563cd00516894?OpenDocument

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/b0d5f4c1f4b8102041256739003e6366/3741eab8e36e9274c12563cd00516894?OpenDocument

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settlements_FactSheet_January_2012_english.pdf

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Foxfram.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFNMyf2fnLAF0r6YXj3eIqx6xSRCA

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oxfam.org%2Fsites%2Fwww.oxfam.org%2Ffiles%2Fbp160-jordan-valley-settlements-050712-en_1.pdf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH5aZecVOC2hO0XSfDFl3VFQlABig

vi “As Safe as Houses: Israel’s Demolition of Palestinian Homes” Amnesty International 2010.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/006/2010;

Amnesty International’s 2013 Annual Report on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories records the

demolition of 604 structures, including approximately 200 homes, and “resulting in the forced eviction of some 870

Palestinians”. https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/report-2013#section-

14-4


“Halper, eff. “Appendix 1 House Demolitions in the Occupied Territories since 1967.” An Israeli in Palestine:

Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel. 2010. 301-3. vii

Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/385ec082b509e76c41256739003e636d/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5

Data on displacement of Palestinians: “Displacement Trends.” Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Accessed April 12, 2014. http://www.icahd.org/displacement-trends.

As of 2013, UNRWA reports 4,976,920 registered refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza

Strip. http://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/unrwa_in_figures_new2014_10nov2014.pdf. viii

“The Ine uality Report: the Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel.” Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority

Rights. March 2011. http://adalah.org/upfiles/2011/Adalah_The_Inequality_Report_March_2011.pdf

2011-12 Israeli legislation codifying discrimination against Arab, Palestinian, and Bedouin citizens of Israel:

http://adalah.org/Public/files/English/Legal_Advocacy/Discriminatory_Laws/Discriminatory-Laws-in-Israel-

October-2012-Update.pdf

Identity cards in Israel do not include the category of “Israeli”, but instead list

http://www.timesofisrael.com/supreme-court-rules-israeli-ethnicity-doesnt-exist/ ix

“Locked In: The Humanitarian Impact of Two Years of Blockade on the Gaza Strip.” Office for the Coordination

of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Ocha_opt_Gaza_impact_of_two_years_of_blockade_August_2009_english.pdf

“The Gaza Strip: The Impact of Movement Restrictions on People and Goods” OCHAoPt, uly 2013.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_blockade_factsheet_july_2013_english.pdf

“Israel/OPT:Gaza power crisis has compounded blockade’s assault on human dignity” Amnesty International, 1

December 2013. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israelopt-gaza-power-crisis-has-compounded-blockade-s-assault-

human-dignity-2013-11-29

“The Siege on Gaza” B’Tselem, 1 anuary 2011. http://www.btselem.org/printpdf/107944

“Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: The Conflict in Gaza: A Briefing on Applicable Law, Investigations and

Accountability.” Amnesty International. anuary 19, 2009.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/007/2009/en/4dd8f595-e64c-11dd-9917-

ed717fa5078d/mde150072009en.pdf x The Institute for Middle East Understanding on the end of the cease-fire and the beginning of Operation Cast Lead

http://imeu.net/news/article0021968.shtml; IMEU cites the Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians xi

“Israel/Gaza: Operation ‘Cast Lead’: 22 Days of Death and Destruction” Amnesty International, 2009.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-

0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf

“Operation Cast Lead, 27 Dec. ’08to 18 an. ‘09” B’Tselem, 1 anuary 2011.

http://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/castlead_operation xii

Human Rights Council Report to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 6 March 2013.

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.35.Add.1_AV.pdf

“Human Rights Violations during Operation Pillar of Defense.” B’tselem report. 9 May 2013.

http://www.btselem.org/download/201305_pillar_of_defense_operation_eng.pdf xiii

The Palestinian Call for BDS: http://www.bdsmovement.net/call xiv

Resolution 194. United Nations General Assembly. December 11, 1948.

http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/C758572B78D1CD0085256BCF0077E51A xv

Universities which divestment from Apartheid South Africa:

http://africanactivist.msu.edu/document_metadata.php?objectid=32-130-E6E (see PDF linked on website).

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/006/2010



http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/385ec082b509e76c41256739003e636d/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5

http://www.icahd.org/displacement-trends

http://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/unrwa_in_figures_new2014_10nov2014.pdf

http://adalah.org/upfiles/2011/Adalah_The_Inequality_Report_March_2011.pdf

http://adalah.org/Public/files/English/Legal_Advocacy/Discriminatory_Laws/Discriminatory-Laws-in-Israel-October-2012-Update.pdf

http://adalah.org/Public/files/English/Legal_Advocacy/Discriminatory_Laws/Discriminatory-Laws-in-Israel-October-2012-Update.pdf

http://www.timesofisrael.com/supreme-court-rules-israeli-ethnicity-doesnt-exist/

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Ocha_opt_Gaza_impact_of_two_years_of_blockade_August_2009_english.pdf

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_blockade_factsheet_july_2013_english.pdf

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israelopt-gaza-power-crisis-has-compounded-blockade-s-assault-human-dignity-2013-11-29

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israelopt-gaza-power-crisis-has-compounded-blockade-s-assault-human-dignity-2013-11-29

http://www.btselem.org/printpdf/107944

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/007/2009/en/4dd8f595-e64c-11dd-9917-ed717fa5078d/mde150072009en.pdf

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/007/2009/en/4dd8f595-e64c-11dd-9917-ed717fa5078d/mde150072009en.pdf

http://imeu.net/news/article0021968.shtml

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians

https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf

https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf

http://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/castlead_operation

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.35.Add.1_AV.pdf

http://www.btselem.org/download/201305_pillar_of_defense_operation_eng.pdf

http://www.bdsmovement.net/call

http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/C758572B78D1CD0085256BCF0077E51A

http://africanactivist.msu.edu/document_metadata.php?objectid=32-130-E6E

xvi

American Friends Service Committee: https://afsc.org/resource/afscs-israel-palestine-investment-screen-and-tiaa-

cref-divestment-campaign#AFSCScreen

Friends Fiduciary Committee: http://quakerpi.org/news/divest.html

Mennonite Central Committee, US: http://www.mcc.org/stories/news/mcc-us-board-acts-peace-through-its-

investments

Presbyterian Church, USA: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2010/7/6/committee-recommends-denouncing-caterpillar-

action/

United Methodist Church: https://www.kairosresponse.org/UMKR_PR_AC_Action2013.html and

http://www.rabbisletter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CATEPILLAR1.pdf

xvii

Civil and other organizations who have divested from the business supporting and profiting from the occupation:

http://imeu.net/news/article0019584.shtml#KeySuccessesCivil xviii

“Report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli

settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East erusalem” prepare for presentation to the 22nd

Session of the Human

Rights Council, March 2013. Page 19.

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/FFM/FFMSettlements.pdf xix

The Evergreen State College Divestment Resolution and results http://tescdivest.blogspot.com/p/resolutions.html; xx

In May, 2004, Jean Ziegler, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food addressed a letter to James Own, CEO of

Caterpillar Inc. regarding “the actions of the Israeli occupying forces in Rafah and in other locations in Gaza and the

West Bank, using armored bulldozers supplied by your company [CAT] to destroy agricultural farms, greenhouses,

ancient olive groves and agricultural fields planted with crops, as well as numerous Palestinian homes and

sometimes human lives, including that of the American peace activist, Rachel Corrie.”

http://www.catdestroyshomes.org/downloads/Caterpillar_HighCommissioner.pdf.

In a 2004 report on Israel and the Occupied Territories “House Demolition and Destruction of Land and Property”

Amnesty International recommends Caterpillar Inc to “take measures that its bulldozers are not used to commit

human rights violations” (Recommendation 30) and to take stringent measures to prevent any products or service

which they produce or supply from being used to commit violations of international human rights or humanitarian

law” in compliance with the UN Human Rights Norms for Business, including the stipulation that business “

(Amnesty International Recommendation 31). The full Amnesty International report:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/033/2004/en/24cc1bb1-d5f6-11dd-bb24-

1fb85fe8fa05/mde150332004en.html

UN Guidelines on Cooperation between the United Nations and the Business Community, Issued by the Secretary-

General of the United Nations 17 July 2000: http://www.un.org/partners/business/otherpages/guide.htm

xxii

Eden, Paul, ed. "Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, Eyes of the fleet". Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft.

Amber Books, 2004 xxiii

“Technologies of Control: The Case of Hewlett Packard (HP). “Who Profits: The Israeli Occupation Industry.”

Coalition of Women for Peace, Feb 2010. http://www.whoprofits.org/HP xxiv

“Motorola Israel.” Coalition of Women for Peace http://whoprofits.org/company/motorola-solutions-israel xxv

“The case of G4S: Private Security Companies and the Israeli Occupation.” Coalition of Women for Peace: The

Israeli Occupation Industry. March 2011. http://www.whoprofits.org/g4s_report xxvi

“Elbit Systems.” Who Profits? http://www.whoprofits.org/company/elbit-systems xxvii

“Veolia Environnement.” Who Profits? http://www.whoprofits.org/company/veolia-environnement xxviii

ASUW Resolution R-18-19, 2012 http://depts.washington.edu/asuwsen/aero/legislations/view/656

https://afsc.org/resource/afscs-israel-palestine-investment-screen-and-tiaa-cref-divestment-campaign#AFSCScreen

https://afsc.org/resource/afscs-israel-palestine-investment-screen-and-tiaa-cref-divestment-campaign#AFSCScreen

http://quakerpi.org/news/divest.html

http://www.mcc.org/stories/news/mcc-us-board-acts-peace-through-its-investments

http://www.mcc.org/stories/news/mcc-us-board-acts-peace-through-its-investments

http://www.pcusa.org/news/2010/7/6/committee-recommends-denouncing-caterpillar-action/

http://www.pcusa.org/news/2010/7/6/committee-recommends-denouncing-caterpillar-action/

https://www.kairosresponse.org/UMKR_PR_AC_Action2013.html

http://www.rabbisletter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CATEPILLAR1.pdf

http://imeu.net/news/article0019584.shtml#KeySuccessesCivil

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/FFM/FFMSettlements.pdf

http://tescdivest.blogspot.com/p/resolutions.html

http://www.catdestroyshomes.org/downloads/Caterpillar_HighCommissioner.pdf

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/033/2004/en/24cc1bb1-d5f6-11dd-bb24-1fb85fe8fa05/mde150332004en.html

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/033/2004/en/24cc1bb1-d5f6-11dd-bb24-1fb85fe8fa05/mde150332004en.html

http://www.un.org/partners/business/otherpages/guide.htm

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwhoprofits.org%2Fcompany%2Fmotorola-solutions-israel&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGecOWXyhne6TEjMoB8Pfy7z0pj_w

http://www.whoprofits.org/g4s_report

http://depts.washington.edu/asuwsen/aero/legislations/view/656