The Winograd report's moral blindness

05/08/07

Khalid Amayreh

While effectively indicting the Israeli government for "sever failure" in managing Israel's barbaric war on Lebanon last summer, the Winograd Commission report utterly and outrageously ignored the ghastly war crimes the Israeli army committed against Lebanese civilians in the course of the war.

The Winograd report castigated the Israeli government and army for the indecisive end of the war notwithstanding the widespread killings and destruction inflicted on Lebanese civilians and their civilian infrastructure, including schools, ports, power and fuel stations as well as bridges, roads and homes.

In other words, the Winograd report seemed to be blaming the Israeli army and government for not killing more Lebanese and for not destroying more Lebanese homes and probably for not dropping more cluster and uranium bombs throughout Lebanon.

For those who may have forgotten, the wehrmacht-like Israeli army and air-force killed and maimed thousands of Lebanese civilians, utterly destroyed thousands of homes and public buildings, and deliberately and knowingly massacred Lebanese civilians fleeing southern towns and villages during the war.

In the first days of that barbaric war, the Israeli air-force systematically targeted helpless civilians from the villages and hamlets of the South, such as Mirwaheen and Bayada, killing and maiming dozens of children and women. The images of the wanton slaughter were too gruesome to be described by words.

Entire families were exterminated by Israel's American supplied bombs when invading Israeli forces asked civilians to flee their villages. And when the civilians heeded the warnings, Israeli warplanes went into action, bombing the buses and vehicles carrying these hapless refugees northward toward Beirut, reducing dozens to incinerated pieces of human flesh.

The Nazi-like massacres were repeated several times throughout Lebanon, especially in the South and along the coast as Israeli warplanes targeted residential homes under the pretext that a person affiliated with Hizbullah was living there.

And the result was the extermination of entire families including toddlers, children, husbands, wives, grandmothers and grandfathers.

In addition, the Israeli air-force flattened Beirut's southern Dahiya, killing and maiming hundreds, and turning the largely residential area into a huge pile of rubble.

But the most outrageous war crime Israel committed during the war occurred in the closing days of the war when the Israeli chief of staff, Dan Halutz, ordered the air force to drop as many as 3000,000 cluster bomblets in and around residential areas throughout Lebanon.

This Nazi-like carpet bombing had a holocaustic proportions since three million bombs could, theoretically, kill at least three million children. Indeed, the killing and/or maiming of that many people would be at least half a holocaust by "Jewish standards."

The genocidal danger is, of course, far from being hypothetical. Nearly every day Lebanese civilians, including peasants, farmers, shepherds and school children are maimed and killed by these unexploded Jewish presents.

Needless to say, Israeli political and military leaders knew this fact well beforehand, which makes people like Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Halutz bona fide war criminals very much like Nazis political and military leaders.

Shameless and criminal-minded Israeli leaders would never publicly admit that they committed horrible war crimes against innocent civilians.

A few moths ago, Likud leader Benyamin Netanyahu in an interview with al Jazeera English channel sought to justify the wanton bombing of Lebanon by citing the British RAF bombing of German cities in the closing months of WWII.

Unfortunately, the pornographically corrupt analogy went unanswered by al-Jazeera's David Frost who conducted the interview with Netanyahu.

The fact that the Winograd committee totally ignored this shameful aspect of the war is more than morally unconscionable. It is actually an unethical and immoral failure of criminal proportions since that committee gave the impression that the killing and maiming of thousands of innocent civilians, was a minor issue.

Which really indicts the Israeli society and mentality for its callous racism toward non-Jews.

It is true that Hizbullah fired dozens of Katyousha missiles on northern Israel, mainly to deter the Zionist state from committing a fully-fledged genocide against Lebanese civilians.

However, it was amply clear that Israel started the massive bombing and that whatever actions Hizbullah carried out were purely defensive.

In any case, the scandalously disproportionate and deliberate bombings of civilian targets, such as the Qana-2 massacre, can never be justified and may only be viewed as a war crime of Nazi-like proportions.

Thus, while the Winograd report may have the semblance of a credible and solemn probing committee, its willful failure to even allude to these grisly crimes committed knowingly and deliberately by the Israeli army should be viewed as a powerful indictment of the committee itself and its chairman, Judge Elyahu Winograd.

Which really shows that criminality and racism are not confined to the Israeli army and the Zionist political establishment, but are intrinsic traits defining and characterizing the entire Israeli society, including its so-called judicial system.

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© 2007 Khalid Amayreh

Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel

Reposted

Friday, January 5, 2007

Original in Hebrew

Shulamit Aloni

Shulamit Aloni is the former Education Minister of Israel

A new order issued by the GOC Central command bans the conveyance of Palestinians in Israeli vehicles. Such a blatant violation of the right to travel joins the long list of humans rights violations carried out by Israel in the [Occupied] Territories.

Jewish self-righteousness is taken for granted among ourselves to such an extent that we fail to see what’s right in front of our eyes. It’s simply inconceivable that the ultimate victims, the Jews, can carry out evil deeds. Nevertheless, the state of Israel practises its own, quite violent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestinian population.

The US Jewish Establishment’s onslaught on former President Jimmy Carter is based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all: through its army, the government of Israel practises a brutal form of Apartheid in the territory it occupies. Its army has turned every Palestinian village and town into a fenced-in, or blocked-in, detention camp. All this is done in order to keep an eye on the population’s movements and to make its life difficult. Israel even imposes a total curfew whenever the settlers, who have illegally usurped the Palestinians’ land, celebrate their holidays or conduct their parades.

If that were not enough, the generals commanding the region frequently issue further orders, regulations, instructions and rules (let us not forget: they are the lords of the land). By now they have requisitioned further lands for the purpose of constructing “Jewish only” roads. Wonderful roads, wide roads, well-paved roads, brightly lit at night – all that on stolen land. When a Palestinian drives on such a road, his vehicle is confiscated and he is sent on his way.

On one occasion I witnessed such an encounter between a driver and a soldier who was taking down the details before confiscating the vehicle and sending its owner away. “Why?” I asked the soldier. “It’s an order – this is a Jews-only road”, he replied. I inquired as to where was the sign indicating this fact and instructing [other] drivers not to use it. His answer was nothing short of amazing. “It is his responsibility to know it, and besides, what do you want us to do, put up a sign here and let some antisemitic reporter or journalist take a photo so he that can show the world that Apartheid exists here?”

Indeed Apartheid does exist here. And our army is not “the most moral army in the world” as we are told by its commanders. Sufficient to mention that every town and every village has turned into a detention centre and that every entry and every exit has been closed, cutting it off from arterial traffic. If it were not enough that Palestinians are not allowed to travel on the roads paved ‘for Jews only’, on their land, the current GOC found it necessary to land an additional blow on the natives in their own land with an “ingenious proposal”.

Humanitarian activists cannot transport Palestinians either

Major-General Naveh, renowned for his superior patriotism, has issued a new order. Coming into affect on 19 January, it prohibits the conveyance of Palestinians without a permit. The order determines that Israelis are not allowed to transport Palestinians in an Israeli vehicle (one registered in Israel regardless of what kind of numberplate it carries) unless they have received explicit permission to do so. The permit relates to both the driver and the Palestinian passenger. Of course none of this applies to those whose labour serves the settlers. They and their employers will naturally receive the required permits so they can continue to serve the lords of the land, the settlers.

Did man of peace President Carter truly err in concluding that Israel is creating Apartheid? Did he exaggerate? Don’t the US Jewish community leaders recognise the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination of 7 March 1966, to which Israel is a signatory? Are the US Jews who launched the loud and abusive campaign against Carter for supposedly maligning Israel’s character and its democratic and humanist nature unfamiliar with the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid of 30 November 1973? Apartheid is defined therein as an international crime that among other things includes using different legal instruments to rule over different racial groups, thus depriving people of their human rights. Isn’t freedom of travel one of these rights?

In the past, the US Jewish community leaders were quite familiar with the meaning of those conventions. For some reason, however, they are convinced that Israel is allowed to contravene them. It’s OK to kill civilians, women and children, old people and parents with their children, deliberately or otherwise without accepting any responsibility. It’s permissible to rob people of their lands, destroy their crops, and cage them up like animals in the zoo. From now on, Israelis and International humanitarian organisations’ volunteers are prohibited from assisting a woman in labour by taking her to the hospital. [Israeli human rights group] Yesh Din volunteers cannot take a robbed and beaten-up Palestinian to the police station to lodge a complaint. (Police stations are located at the heart of the settlements.) Is there anyone who believes that this is not Apartheid?

Jimmy Carter does not need me to defend his reputation that has been sullied by Israelophile community officials. The trouble is that their love of Israel distorts their judgment and blinds them from seeing what’s in front of them. Israel is an occupying power that for 40 years has been oppressing an indigenous people, which is entitled to a sovereign and independent existence while living in peace with us. We should remember that we too used very violent terror against foreign rule because we wanted our own state. And the list of victims of terror is quite long and extensive.

We do limit ourselves to denying the [Palestinian] people human rights. We not only rob of them of their freedom, land and water. We apply collective punishment to millions of people and even, in revenge-driven frenzy, destroy the electricity supply for one and half million civilians. Let them “sit in the darkness” and “starve”.

Employees cannot be paid their wages because Israel is holding 500 million shekels that belong to the Palestinians. And after all that we remain “pure as the driven snow”. There are no moral blemishes on our actions. There is no racial separation. There is no Apartheid. It’s an invention of the enemies of Israel. Hooray for our brothers and sisters in the US! Your devotion is very much appreciated. You have truly removed a nasty stain from us. Now there can be an extra spring in our step as we confidently abuse the Palestinian population, using the “most moral army in the world”.

Palestinian "Civil War" and the Israeli Chocolate Ration

December 15, 2006

Meanwhile, People are Dying

By ELIZA ERNSHIRE

[Eliza Ernshire can be reached at eliza_ernshire@yahoo.co.uk]

Ramallah.

This phrase is not in the dictionary of the Palestinian language, the Prime minister of this occupied country told us. There is no such thing as civil war. No such thing as factional hatred, no such thing as hatred no such thing.

There is no such thing as bombing family homes, the Prime minister of Israel has told us and the President of the U.S.A. has told us there is no such thing as misguided precision bombs, no such thing as murdered civilians and broken families and hatred and more hatred that grows from these events. There is no such thing as fear in the Israeli society, the Palestinians tell us, as the Jewish citizens wonder when their security will be threatened again. The Israeli army tells us that there is no such thing as injustice at checkpoints, no such thing as giving freedom to 18 year old boys in Hummers who terrorize Palestinian villages. There is no such thing as a history for the Jewish people or their past of suffering ... No such thing as the Holocaust ... No such thing.

Words that are torn to shreds in the reality of conflict. In the reality of the hatred that is being born out of every misguided precision bomb, out of every crude rocket launched, out of every hour spent at a checkpoint waiting for that 18-year old boy to finish his cigarette.

There is hatred born also from the failure of the leading people who say "no such thing" to recognize that there is such a thing and that this thing is the death knell of their country.

Was it not the absolute warning for everyone when three young children in Gaza were gunned to death in a car on their way to school, that things have gone far too far already? Here in Ramallah the President of Palestine sits and watches in horror the daily bloodbath of Iraq and says we are not in danger from that reality. The Prime minister in Gaza watches children murdered and his own party member executed and says we are not in danger of civil war.

"Our country is not in threat of civil war", Haniya said.

"Iraq is not in the middle of a civil war." Malakiya has said. It is still suffering the "birth pangs of democracy".

In every human's feelings there looms the reality of the bloodshed in Iraq civil war, although the phrase "civil war" seems to continue to stick on the cuffs of academics who have helped by their inaction to orchestrate this country's sorrow.

Let these people kill themselves in civil conflict that is not yet civil war

Menawhile the people are dying, the children, the fighters, the civilians who dare the market places to buy food for their families

On the day when the three sons were murdered in Gaza, the city of Ramallah, a Fatah stronghold, erupted. People took to the streets and there was incessant gunfire.

Men roamed the main areas of the city with their faces uncovered and their guns on show. A shrine was set up at Al Minara in the center of the city to the three boys. Gruesome photos of their little tortured bodies were enlarged and on display every where and in fury I locked myself inside my house.
How dare this tragedy be used for political ends? How dare Fatah use this event to further its own attempts to overthrow the government they have never wanted to accept?..

There was incessant talk of war. All the PA security men were shining their guns ready to use them against an enemy that cannot annihilate them with one air strike.

And then I was also angry with myself for blaming them for this show of frustration and for their shooting in the air and for their chanting.

Is it a wonder at all that they respond like this?

Is it a wonder that a people who have been totally repressed and humiliated for decades start to seethe with the wish to fight in such provoking circumstances?

Israel and in the past nine months the rest of the Western World, have created this powder keg of anger and hatred and yet continue to represent the situation in terms that are both unfair and untruthful.

In fact there are so many untruths in this conflict that it is hard to find even a half truth any more.

Not only is there "no threat of civil war", but there is actually supposed to be a "cease-fire" in this region at the moment.

If you lived here you would understand the exact opposite. There is no cease-fire and a very real threat of civil war born from decades of this terribly unjust occupation and nine months of economic strangulation.

While some of the root causes of civil unrest are the same here as in Iraq there are also some major differences that could as soon save this country as lead to its destruction. The difference here to Iraq is that the line between the opposing factions is purely political. There is no blood involved. It is not family or tribe or religious affiliation. It is political choice. But the problem in this, as the majority of people here tell me, is that if a conflict were to escalate it would not be contained to political factions but could end up involving brother against brother because political support is often diverse within the family itself.

And this type of infighting is not possible even in Iraq.

"In my family alone" a police officer told me "you have all three parties. I am Fatah, my sister is Hamas and my father is DFLP. Of course there will be many people who will withdraw their political support if it comes to a war. But not all."

When I asked him if he would fight he said "Of course."

And as for the cease-fire, when I first heard news of it I wanted to write then to say to the international community not to accept Israel's "chocolate ration". Not to accept sentimentality in place of morality. Not to accept.

The people of Gaza and the West Bank beg you not to accept.

I didn't write, hoping that the world would not accept. Why should they be grateful that Israel withdrew to a border inside which they should never have entered? Why should they be grateful that Israel is not killing a family every single day instead of absolutely irreconciled to the fact that they killed so many in their Beit Hanoun massacring?

But the trend continued in this case as it has in the past.

Israel invaded and slaughtered and the spectators gasped a little. Israel withdrew and "made concessions toward a cease-fire" (concessions that were "all on their side") and the international community was pleased and relieved.

Big Brother reduced the chocolate ration by 30 per cent and then gave an increase of 15 per cent and the people were grateful.

There has never been a cease-fire. Not in Gaza and definitely not in the West Bank. For a full list of casualties, of injuries of arrests and killings since the cease-fire was proclaimed look at the Maannews agency which has listed some 87 violations on the side of Israel since the cease-fire was internationally applauded. I can not bear to rewrite them all again.

But let me add just one point. As I write news is coming through that the High Court of Israel has overturned the case against targeted killings.

So assassinations are legal again.

Every one knows how many victims targeted killings can leave in their wake. If you live in Ramallah or have lived in Nablus or Jenin you well know the degree of horror that a targeted killing generates. You will never forget the sight of undercover Special Forces walking down main streets and opening fire seemingly indiscriminately. And the aftermath of these actions. The anger and sorrow. The funeral and rallies. The poster added to the covered walls. These are things you will never forget.

And these killings are now legalized.

And do not violate the cease-fire.

It is not easy here at present. People you love, the city you love, the brothers you love, the resisters and the students you love are all facing an absolute abyss. An abyss created by a world that is learning to live in fear instead of in hope. An abyss that no amount of hopeful imagination seems to be able to find the bottom of, although this is a game we sometimes indulge in. "Who can think of a solution"

"But please Eliza!" a friend from Nablus confided one evening about two weeks ago. "My problem is as deep and bottomless. The girl I love" I smiled. No my dear friend! That abyss is not bottomless! And I can help you find any amount of solutions as imaginative or as realistic as you like! He was incredulous at my smiling. Listened to my advice like a child and rang me just over an hour ago to tell me that it worked! He hopes to be married within the year,"situation permitting".

Love always finds a way! I am glad for him. His life has been made tragic enough by this occupation; he has lost a brother and an uncle in the armed resistance and has spent some years in an Israeli prison himself, although he is only 23. I am glad to know that he can still love. And that love creates hope in the ruins of this country.

Hatred, swollen here by years of gorging on the atmosphere of fear and lies, in the end only destroys.

But does it destroy itself as well along the way?

Or just everything that is in its path?

And must this include truth?

There is no such thing as No such thing as no such thing.

There is no such thing as bombing family homesno such thing as murdered civilians and broken families and hatred and more hatred.

There is no such thing ...

Principled Bank ends relations with firm that benefits of Israeli occupation

Principled Dutch ASN Bank ends relations with Veolia

Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 26 November 2006


This week, ASN Bank, a Dutch bank based in The Hague,1 announced that it would end its relationship with Veolia Transport, and all companies that benefit from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

Since it first announced its intentions to become involved in an Israeli project to build a light rail / tramline system, to be constructed in occupied East Jerusalem, Veolia Transport, a French multi-national corporation, faced a lot of criticism from all over the world. The tramline aims to connect the illegally-constructed settlements in East Jerusalem with towns and cities in Israel.2

ASN Bank is rooted in ethical principles, which it explains as follows:

"As an ethical bank, ASN Bank does not only apply financial criteria when selecting its investments, but also takes account of environmental and social criteria; the latter include Human Rights criteria. The UN resolutions are an important guide for ASN Bank in the practical interpretation of these Human Rights criteria."3

The Bank once refused to deal with companies that were linked in any way with apartheid South Africa. To encourage ASN Bank to withdraw its money from Veolia, concerned individuals with an account at ASN Bank joined forces with Dutch, Palestinian, Israeli and international organisations.

This article explains how the successful action came about.

First contact in May

On 15 May 2006, ASN Bank received a formal request to withdraw their money from Veolia Environment. The request came from a few individuals who teamed up and appealed to the ethics of the bank and its anti-apartheid history.

At the end of May, the bank replied that it would reconsider its relationship with Veolia on the basis of a thorough analysis. Relevant information about the occupation and why the development of a light rail system / tramline in East Jerusalem was unlawful were sent to the director of the bank by the core group of individuals.

In July, the ASN Bank director was reminded of the importance of a timely answer. However, he stressed the need for thorough research and asked for patience. This was difficult for the core group to accept, because at that time the Israeli military operations in Gaza and in South Lebanon had reached a level of violence not seen in a decade. There was a strong sense of urgency, due to the increasing pace with which Israel was creating facts on the ground in its construction of the wall, the settlements and the tramline. These concerns were conveyed on several occasions.

Looking for partners

While the case of Veolia was very clear in terms of ethical and legal arguments, it did not lead to a quick change in the policy of ASN Bank. Consequently, the pressure on ASN Bank was increased and new partners were identified. Two organisations were invited to join the core group, the Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation (ICCO) a major Dutch non-governmental donor organisation and the Amsterdam-based NGO A Different Jewish Voice (EAJG).


The route of the tramway in Jerusalem.

EAJG had already taken steps to lobby Veolia to withdraw from the tramline project by writing letters to the French Ambassador and to the Dutch Foreign Minister. ICCO had a long-standing relationship with ASN Bank and was active in the Middle East for many years. Other Dutch organisations were also informed about the action. It became clear that several organisations were prepared - if necessary - to become active in a bigger campaign for the ASN Bank's withdrawal from Veolia.

Research into Veolia

To gain a deeper understanding of Veolia's partnership in the Israeli project for the tramline in East Jerusalem, research was undertaken into the background of the company.

This research served multiple purposes. It helped the core group build its argument for the ASN Bank to divest, it served as a concrete input to the ASN Bank's own assessment of Veolia, and it inspired other activists to continue their campaigns for Veolia's withdrawal from the tramline project. Reliable sources were cited, including Public Citizen, a non-profit organisation founded by Ralph Nader, which had criticised Veolia for its 'track record of corruption, broken promises, environmental degradation, price-gouging, obfuscation, misdirection and secrecy'. On the basis of the research, two articles were published in June and September 2006.4


Veolia letter (PDF), 22 May 2006

PLO NAD letter (PDF), 11 June 2006


In a letter to the Dutch activists dated 22 May 2006, Veolia claimed they were ignorant of the unlawfulness of constructing the tramline, even though Amnesty International in France had already made this issue very clear in a public statement of 1 March 2006.5

Only recently, the core group learned that the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and French President Jacques Chirac discussed Veolia's partnership in the summer of 2005. At that time, the French government had shares in Veolia Corporation. In November last year, a delegation of the Palestinian Authority met Ministers and Members of Parliament in France and the Netherlands concerning the actions of Veolia. It is now clear that the Palestinian Authority had long registered its objections to the tramline project in East Jerusalem.

Media attention and debates in parliament

In September 2006, ASN Bank requested a meeting between the Bank and the core group. Early November was offered as the first opportunity that ASN Bank's representatives would be available. The core group was unhappy about the delay, but did not see any other constructive option than to agree.

In the meantime, United Civilians for Peace, a coalition of six Dutch organisations active in the areas of peace, human rights and development, finalised a research on the links between Dutch companies and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

At the time the research was being undertaken, questions were raised in the Dutch Parliament about Riwal, a Dutch company involved in the illegal construction of the wall in occupied Palestinian territory. Parliamentarians called for the intervention of the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs. When the complete 'Profundo' report6 was published it got a lot of media attention, and led to further debate in the Dutch Parliament. These events were helpful in building pressure on ASN Bank to withdraw its investments in Veolia.

The meeting with ASN Bank

To further convince ASN Bank that it had no other option than to change its policy towards Veolia, the core group mobilised additional support for the November meeting with the Bank. Letters calling on ASN Bank to withdraw its investments in Veolia or condemning Veolia's construction of the tramline were written by Dutch, Israeli, Palestinian and various international organisations, and by prominent individuals, including an internationally respected human rights and international law expert, as well as the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

The core group and a representative of the Stop the Wall campaign participated in the meeting with ASN Bank in November. The Bank's directors informed the core group that they had decided to stick to their ethics and principles and therefore would end their relation with Veolia. ASN Bank did not want to have any relationship with a company that benefited from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. In this regard, it is expected that ASN Bank will also end its relationship with the Irish company Cement Roadstone Holdings Plc (CRH). CRH is co-owner of the Israeli Mashav Group, the main provider of cement in the illegal construction of the wall in the West Bank. CRH also owns 129 Gamma and Karwei home improvement centres in the Netherlands.

ASN Bank's message to Veolia

In its correspondence with Veolia ASN Bank explained the reasons for ending the relationship with Veolia:
"This combined information convinced ASN Bank that Veolia's involvement does pose a problem for ASN Bank in applying the banks' social criteria on Human Rights. We believe that Veolia's involvement in the light rail project is not in line with the UN's demand to stop all support for Israel's settlement activities, and is therefore not in line with ASN Banks' social criteria. Due to the direct nature of Veolia's involvement (through a 5% stake in the consortium and as future operator), we are of the opinion that Veolia's activities in Jerusalem are in conflict with UN Resolutions. Therefore, on this current information Veolia will be removed from our investment universe."7
Every kilometer starts with a single step

The case of ASN Bank shows that a call for boycott and divestment can be successful. Consumers put their money in banks and they have the power to influence their policies. They vote with their money and in some cases they can appeal to a bank's ethical standards. It is expected that more Dutch investment and pensions funds will withdraw their money from Veolia and other companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory or through their complicity in human rights violations. Such campaigns will have an impact in supporting the continuing struggle of the Palestinian people to claim their freedom and equal rights.

One of the core group's Palestinian contacts responded as follows:
"Many thanks for your message; it is very encouraging. This thing is a small light in the very dark tunnel we are currently in. Today's shocking and disgusting crime committed against civilians in Beit Hanoun (Gaza) and the shameless justification it was given by the Israeli leaders prove how urgent is the need for a vibrant and an alive world conscience."
ASN Bank is the first bank to end relations with companies that benefit from the occupation. A significant step has been taken. Now it is up to us to convince other banks and pension funds to do the same. For example, the Dutch bank ABN AMRO has investments in Caterpillar, the manufacturer of D9 bulldozers that are retro-fitted with armour and machine guns and used by the Israeli army for the demolition of numerous Palestinian houses in acts of collective punishment, as well as for building the separation wall. So who is next?

Adri Nieuwhof is a consultant and human rights activist who, in the eighties, was involved numerous BDS projects for the Holland Committee on Southern Africa (KZA).

Endnotes[1] ASN Bank[2] Stop the Wall Campaign[3] Letter to Veolia from ASN Bank (20 November 2006)[4] Isolate Israel - Campaign for justice!, Adri Nieuwhof, Stop the Wall (25 June 2006) and The Israeli Veolia "Connexxion" (13 September 2006)[5] Amnesty International (France)[6] Research: Dozens of Dutch companies support or facilitate Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territories, United Civilians for Peace (16 November 2006)[7] Letter to Veolia from ASN Bank (20 November 2006)Related Links
The Israel Veolia "Connexxion", Adri Nieuwhof (13 September 2006)
BY TOPIC: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions

Principled Bank ends relations with firm that benefits of Israeli occupation

Principled Dutch ASN Bank ends relations with Veolia

Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 26 November 2006


This week, ASN Bank, a Dutch bank based in The Hague,1 announced that it would end its relationship with Veolia Transport, and all companies that benefit from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

Since it first announced its intentions to become involved in an Israeli project to build a light rail / tramline system, to be constructed in occupied East Jerusalem, Veolia Transport, a French multi-national corporation, faced a lot of criticism from all over the world. The tramline aims to connect the illegally-constructed settlements in East Jerusalem with towns and cities in Israel.2

ASN Bank is rooted in ethical principles, which it explains as follows:

"As an ethical bank, ASN Bank does not only apply financial criteria when selecting its investments, but also takes account of environmental and social criteria; the latter include Human Rights criteria. The UN resolutions are an important guide for ASN Bank in the practical interpretation of these Human Rights criteria."3

The Bank once refused to deal with companies that were linked in any way with apartheid South Africa. To encourage ASN Bank to withdraw its money from Veolia, concerned individuals with an account at ASN Bank joined forces with Dutch, Palestinian, Israeli and international organisations.

This article explains how the successful action came about.

First contact in May

On 15 May 2006, ASN Bank received a formal request to withdraw their money from Veolia Environment. The request came from a few individuals who teamed up and appealed to the ethics of the bank and its anti-apartheid history.

At the end of May, the bank replied that it would reconsider its relationship with Veolia on the basis of a thorough analysis. Relevant information about the occupation and why the development of a light rail system / tramline in East Jerusalem was unlawful were sent to the director of the bank by the core group of individuals.

In July, the ASN Bank director was reminded of the importance of a timely answer. However, he stressed the need for thorough research and asked for patience. This was difficult for the core group to accept, because at that time the Israeli military operations in Gaza and in South Lebanon had reached a level of violence not seen in a decade. There was a strong sense of urgency, due to the increasing pace with which Israel was creating facts on the ground in its construction of the wall, the settlements and the tramline. These concerns were conveyed on several occasions.

Looking for partners

While the case of Veolia was very clear in terms of ethical and legal arguments, it did not lead to a quick change in the policy of ASN Bank. Consequently, the pressure on ASN Bank was increased and new partners were identified. Two organisations were invited to join the core group, the Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation (ICCO) a major Dutch non-governmental donor organisation and the Amsterdam-based NGO A Different Jewish Voice (EAJG).


The route of the tramway in Jerusalem.

EAJG had already taken steps to lobby Veolia to withdraw from the tramline project by writing letters to the French Ambassador and to the Dutch Foreign Minister. ICCO had a long-standing relationship with ASN Bank and was active in the Middle East for many years. Other Dutch organisations were also informed about the action. It became clear that several organisations were prepared - if necessary - to become active in a bigger campaign for the ASN Bank's withdrawal from Veolia.

Research into Veolia

To gain a deeper understanding of Veolia's partnership in the Israeli project for the tramline in East Jerusalem, research was undertaken into the background of the company.

This research served multiple purposes. It helped the core group build its argument for the ASN Bank to divest, it served as a concrete input to the ASN Bank's own assessment of Veolia, and it inspired other activists to continue their campaigns for Veolia's withdrawal from the tramline project. Reliable sources were cited, including Public Citizen, a non-profit organisation founded by Ralph Nader, which had criticised Veolia for its 'track record of corruption, broken promises, environmental degradation, price-gouging, obfuscation, misdirection and secrecy'. On the basis of the research, two articles were published in June and September 2006.4


Veolia letter (PDF), 22 May 2006

PLO NAD letter (PDF), 11 June 2006


In a letter to the Dutch activists dated 22 May 2006, Veolia claimed they were ignorant of the unlawfulness of constructing the tramline, even though Amnesty International in France had already made this issue very clear in a public statement of 1 March 2006.5

Only recently, the core group learned that the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and French President Jacques Chirac discussed Veolia's partnership in the summer of 2005. At that time, the French government had shares in Veolia Corporation. In November last year, a delegation of the Palestinian Authority met Ministers and Members of Parliament in France and the Netherlands concerning the actions of Veolia. It is now clear that the Palestinian Authority had long registered its objections to the tramline project in East Jerusalem.

Media attention and debates in parliament

In September 2006, ASN Bank requested a meeting between the Bank and the core group. Early November was offered as the first opportunity that ASN Bank's representatives would be available. The core group was unhappy about the delay, but did not see any other constructive option than to agree.

In the meantime, United Civilians for Peace, a coalition of six Dutch organisations active in the areas of peace, human rights and development, finalised a research on the links between Dutch companies and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

At the time the research was being undertaken, questions were raised in the Dutch Parliament about Riwal, a Dutch company involved in the illegal construction of the wall in occupied Palestinian territory. Parliamentarians called for the intervention of the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs. When the complete 'Profundo' report6 was published it got a lot of media attention, and led to further debate in the Dutch Parliament. These events were helpful in building pressure on ASN Bank to withdraw its investments in Veolia.

The meeting with ASN Bank

To further convince ASN Bank that it had no other option than to change its policy towards Veolia, the core group mobilised additional support for the November meeting with the Bank. Letters calling on ASN Bank to withdraw its investments in Veolia or condemning Veolia's construction of the tramline were written by Dutch, Israeli, Palestinian and various international organisations, and by prominent individuals, including an internationally respected human rights and international law expert, as well as the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

The core group and a representative of the Stop the Wall campaign participated in the meeting with ASN Bank in November. The Bank's directors informed the core group that they had decided to stick to their ethics and principles and therefore would end their relation with Veolia. ASN Bank did not want to have any relationship with a company that benefited from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. In this regard, it is expected that ASN Bank will also end its relationship with the Irish company Cement Roadstone Holdings Plc (CRH). CRH is co-owner of the Israeli Mashav Group, the main provider of cement in the illegal construction of the wall in the West Bank. CRH also owns 129 Gamma and Karwei home improvement centres in the Netherlands.

ASN Bank's message to Veolia

In its correspondence with Veolia ASN Bank explained the reasons for ending the relationship with Veolia:
"This combined information convinced ASN Bank that Veolia's involvement does pose a problem for ASN Bank in applying the banks' social criteria on Human Rights. We believe that Veolia's involvement in the light rail project is not in line with the UN's demand to stop all support for Israel's settlement activities, and is therefore not in line with ASN Banks' social criteria. Due to the direct nature of Veolia's involvement (through a 5% stake in the consortium and as future operator), we are of the opinion that Veolia's activities in Jerusalem are in conflict with UN Resolutions. Therefore, on this current information Veolia will be removed from our investment universe."7
Every kilometer starts with a single step

The case of ASN Bank shows that a call for boycott and divestment can be successful. Consumers put their money in banks and they have the power to influence their policies. They vote with their money and in some cases they can appeal to a bank's ethical standards. It is expected that more Dutch investment and pensions funds will withdraw their money from Veolia and other companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory or through their complicity in human rights violations. Such campaigns will have an impact in supporting the continuing struggle of the Palestinian people to claim their freedom and equal rights.

One of the core group's Palestinian contacts responded as follows:
"Many thanks for your message; it is very encouraging. This thing is a small light in the very dark tunnel we are currently in. Today's shocking and disgusting crime committed against civilians in Beit Hanoun (Gaza) and the shameless justification it was given by the Israeli leaders prove how urgent is the need for a vibrant and an alive world conscience."
ASN Bank is the first bank to end relations with companies that benefit from the occupation. A significant step has been taken. Now it is up to us to convince other banks and pension funds to do the same. For example, the Dutch bank ABN AMRO has investments in Caterpillar, the manufacturer of D9 bulldozers that are retro-fitted with armour and machine guns and used by the Israeli army for the demolition of numerous Palestinian houses in acts of collective punishment, as well as for building the separation wall. So who is next?

Adri Nieuwhof is a consultant and human rights activist who, in the eighties, was involved numerous BDS projects for the Holland Committee on Southern Africa (KZA).

Endnotes[1] ASN Bank[2] Stop the Wall Campaign[3] Letter to Veolia from ASN Bank (20 November 2006)[4] Isolate Israel - Campaign for justice!, Adri Nieuwhof, Stop the Wall (25 June 2006) and The Israeli Veolia "Connexxion" (13 September 2006)[5] Amnesty International (France)[6] Research: Dozens of Dutch companies support or facilitate Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territories, United Civilians for Peace (16 November 2006)[7] Letter to Veolia from ASN Bank (20 November 2006)Related Links
The Israel Veolia "Connexxion", Adri Nieuwhof (13 September 2006)
BY TOPIC: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions

Implications of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

Source: BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights

Date: 21 Nov 2006
OPT: BADIL statement submitted to the UN Human Rights Council
No. (E/24/06)

The below statement was submitted by BADIL to the UN Human Rights Council convening for its third session in Geneva on 27 November. It was also presented to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, during her meeting with Palestinian human rights organizations in occupied Ramallah today.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Third session

Statement submitted by BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, a non-governmental organization in general consultative status

Implications of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

1. The large majority of the recent victims of Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip, including the victims of Beit Hanoun, are 1948 Palestinian refugees whose ongoing plight should alarm all parties concerned of the urgency of addressing the root causes of this protracted conflict. Palestinian refugees of 1948 and 1967 continue to lack access to effective protection, including physical, protection, and a durable solution in accordance with international law, UNGA Resolution 194 and UNSC Resolution 237. A similar cause for alarm is the continuing and repeated nature of displacement in the occupied Palestinian territories. Indeed, both Palestinian refugees and non-refugee residents of the occupied territories continue to be displaced either internally or externally as a result of house demolitions, military operations, revocation of their ID cards, particularly in Jerusalem, and the Wall and its regime, as well as confiscation of land and the construction and expansion of Israeli civilian colonies. Finally, the Palestinian refugees residing in the Gaza Strip and West Bank are subjected to frequent and extreme military attack by Israeli forces, as well as a denial of their freedom of movement.

BADIL Resource Center therefore supports the implementation of an international protection force and calls upon all members to reactivate the search for a durable solution based on the right of return, restitution and compensation of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons.

2. BADIL Resource Center calls upon States and organizations to recognize the root causes of the conflict, namely Israel's protracted occupation and colonization of Palestinian land and its historical policy of population transfer, and to take measures to ensure respect for the rights of the Palestinian people. International efforts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be balanced. The conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories is often misleadingly described as part of the so-called 'War on Terror'. Portraying the conflict in this manner acts as a mask of the severe human rights violations being committed daily on the ground by Israeli authorities against Palestinians. States have an obligation to take a stand against breaches of international law no matter who is the violator.

3. Over the past few months the United Nations, in particular the Security Council and the Quartet, have failed to put human rights at the core of their agenda and find rapid and meaningful solutions to ongoing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law for the Palestinian people, including respect for the July 2004 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. As the reality on the ground unfolds, the Road Map has become an inefficient mechanism to find a just and durable solution to the conflict.

BADIL Resource Center calls upon the UN Security Council and the Quartet to put respect for and implementation of international law at the basis of the search for a just and lasting solution to the conflict. BADIL also calls upon states to take actions to bring about Israel's compliance with international law, including by supporting a protection force in the occupied Palestinian territories and other measures such as boycott and sanctions.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-6VRMRH?OpenDocument