Monthly Archives: February 2019

US federal judge dismisses lawsuit against BDS supporters

Pro-Israeli groups have suffered a major defeat in a US court after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the American Studies Association’s (ASA) resolution to endorse the call to boycott Israeli academic institutions as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

The ruling is a significant victory for human rights campaigners and a blow to efforts by Israel lobby groups to use courts to harass, intimidate and silence supporters of Palestinian rights in US universities – a tactic known as lawfare. It’s also a major boost for Americans sacked from their jobs on the back of anti-BDS legislation, denounced by critics as unconstitutional. (more…)

Eurovision: Peter Gabriel, Vivienne Westwood and more urge BBC to move the competition from Israel

Peter Gabriel, Vivienne Westwood and Roger Waters are among those British cultural figures to sign an open letter asking the BBC to push Eurovision on moving the competition from Israel. “Eurovision may be light entertainment,” the letter published in The Guardian reads, ”but it is not exempt from human rights considerations – and we cannot ignore Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian human rights.” Israel are set to host the singing competition after the country’s entry – Netta, with the song “Toy” – won the 2018 edition. The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, had wanted to hold the 2019 competition in Jerusalem, but the city’s nationality has been heavily disputed, with Palestine claiming ownership over the Israeli-occupied area. The competition will instead take place in Tel Aviv. The letter, also signed by the band Wolf Alice and director Mike Leigh, continues: “The European Broadcasting Union chose Tel Aviv as the venue over occupied Jerusalem – but this does nothing to protect.” (more…)

“Friends of Freeland” hardly friends to Canadian Jews

During the period of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1917-1921) – following the declaration of independence on the heels of the Russian Revolution – pogroms continued to take place in Ukraine. It is estimated that the number of Jews killed during that period number somewhere between 35, 000 and 50, 000.

“Total civilian losses during World War II and German occupation in Ukraine are estimated at seven million, including over a million Jews shot and killed by the Einsatzgruppen (SS) and their many local Ukrainian supporters in the western part of Ukraine. Ukarine had 840, 000 Jews in 1959, a decrease of almost 70% from 1941…The majority of Jews who remained in Ukraine in 1989 left Ukraine and moved to other countries (mostly to Israel) in the 1990s…”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Ukraine). (more…)