Boycott leaders say Israel peace talks ?useless?

[Student]

http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/boycott-leaders-say-
israel-peace-talks-useless-1.1196296

Boycott leaders say Israel peace talks ?useless?
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions chief says he has no faith in negotiations

AFPPublished: 16:57 June 12, 2013Gulf News
Leaders of a growing Palestinian movement to boycott Israel oppose any peace
talks, even if they include a long-demanded freeze of Jewish colonies on
Palestinian land.

?We have no faith in the so-called negotiations,? said Omar Barghouti, head of
the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which lobbies worldwide
for the economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel.

Speaking to AFP on the sidelines of the fourth annual BDS conference at
Bethlehem University at the weekend, Barghouti said the talks were ?absolutely
useless, just another smokescreen to allow Israel to continue its colonisation
- its building of settlements [colonies]?.

The Palestinians have demanded not only a freeze on colony building but also a
return to lines that existed before Israel seized the West Bank, east Jerusalem
and Gaza in the 1967 Six Day War.

But Barghouti said that, even if these key demands were met, negotiations would
still be unacceptable.

The only way to ensure the Palestinians secured all their rights is through the
non-violent ?resistance? of a full boycott of Israel.

Barghouti said that for there to be peace, the Israelis must guarantee the
right of return for Palestinian refugees everywhere and equal rights for
Palestinians in the 1948 areas, as well as a complete end to the occupation of
Palestinian territories.

At the conference, local BDS leaders called in impassioned speeches on the
Palestinian leadership not to ?play the role of mediator between us and
Israel,? demanding instead that they focus their energies on sanctioning the
Jewish state.

The movement says it is inspired by the non-violent South African civil rights
movement and deplores what it calls Israel?s own ?apartheid? against
Palestinians.

One of its more celebrated backers is South African anti-apartheid icon Desmond
Tutu, who addressed delegates by video conference.

?This is a universe where right will ultimately prevail, and you are on the
side of right,? he said, to thunderous applause.

Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters also sent a message, urging fellow musicians to
refuse to perform in Israel as part of the cultural boycott.

Israel, ?uses performances by foreign artists to create a facade of normalcy
and acceptability,? he told them in a pre-recorded message.

Waters also praised a recent decision by renowned British physicist Stephen
Hawking to pull out of a conference to be hosted in occupied Jerusalem next
week by Israeli President Shimon Peres as part of the academic boycott - a move
listed by BDS as one of its notable achievements of the year.

Other ?successes? include Adidas dropping its sponsorship of the Jerusalem
marathon in March after pressure from the movement, and the UN publishing
reports calling for sanctions against Israeli colonies.

The group?s influence is definitely being felt.

Stevie Wonder pulled out of an Israeli army fundraiser in November after
pressure from Tutu and Waters, and fellow US singer Lenny Kravitz cancelled a
Tel Aviv concert in October after being petitioned by activists, citing a
scheduling conflict.

But a recent campaign to boycott a Formula 1 peace roadshow with the
participation of the Scuderia Ferrari and Marussia F1 teams and several
internationally acclaimed motorcyclists, has fallen flat, with the event set to
take place in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday.

In a separate but related development, the European Union has also called for
clear and unambiguous labelling of products being exported from Jewish colonies
in the West Bank, reiterating that colony building is illegal under
international law.

But the move, which was to have been approved by EU foreign ministers in May,
has been delayed until the end of this month, reportedly at the request of
Washington in a move denounced by Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti as
?disappointing?.

?This hesitation on the part of the EU is disappointing. The quicker they move
the better it will be,? he said.

?The US is pressuring the wrong side,? he continued.

?They should have pressured Israel. As long as the US is afraid of pressuring
Israel, nothing will move.?

Nevertheless, Barghouti was confident the boycott movement was picking up pace
and that its influence was increasing.

?As one speaker said today, this movement started as a drop, and it became a
small stream. It?s now becoming a huge river and eventually it will be a
flood,? he said.

?The biggest challenge now is to explain to the Palestinian people what {the
boycott] means and how they themselves can become effective in boycotting
Israeli products.

?The only alternative is violence, because we are now subjected to the worst
system of apartheid,? he added.

[Truth and honesty]

On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:35:18 -0400, Student wrote:

> Leaders of a growing Palestinian movement to boycott Israel oppose any peace
> talks,

Why is no one surprised, they do not want peace.


--
Honesty. Decency. Integrity

www.youtube.com/watch?v=33An6HotyuI

Nov 20, 2012
Hamas execution of 6 men, dragged in the streets of Gaza

[Surfer]

On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:35:18 -0400, Student <stu...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>
>http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/boycott-leaders-say-
>israel-peace-talks-useless-1.1196296

>
> Leaders of a growing Palestinian movement to boycott Israel oppose any peace
>talks, even if they include a long-demanded freeze of Jewish colonies on
>Palestinian land.
>

Ever since Rome colonized Israel, the land of Israel (renamed as
Palestine) has generally been controlled by this or that external
power. Eg, Rome, Ottoman Empire, Britain.

It has never been under the control of a Palestinian state, as there
has never existed a Palestinian state.

So except for Gaza which is currently controlled by Hamas as a rogue
state, the concept of "Palestinian Land" seems a myth.