[LCM Events] Plz FWD: Celebrating Peace or Camouflaging Apartheid? Boycott the Boston OneVoice Echo on 10/18t!

Thu Oct 11 10:15:01 EDT 2007

Many Arab performers (including the rap group DAM and Ilham el-Medfay ) were mislead into joining but are now pulling out, as the case for Brian Adams according to this article in Al-Akhbar:

http://www.al-akhbar.com/ar/node/49764 

Here's the Press Release on this event by The Palestinian Campaign
for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel :

http://www.pacbi.org/announcements_more.php?id=612_0_5_0_M

  Celebrating Peace or Camouflaging Apartheid? Boycott the Jericho-Tel Aviv Public Event on October 18th! 
    PACBI    October 4, 2007

    On October 18th, One Million Voices, an organization led by Israelis and international figures with the support of some Palestinians, is organizing a public event in Jericho and Tel Aviv, simultaneously. The event will include performances by renowned artists Brian Adams and Ilham Madfa'i. As stated on the organization's English web page, the objective of the event is to “mark the first time that massive numbers of Israelis and Palestinians gather simultaneously to unite against violent extremism.”

  According to the widely accepted boycott criteria advocated by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), the event falls under the category of normalization projects and violates the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), endorsed by over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations, trade unions, political parties, and grassroots movements, for the following reasons: 

1. Participants are required to join the One Voice Movement and sign a mandate -- ostensibly based on a "two-state solution," but without any commitment to international parameters -- which assumes equal responsibility of "both sides" for the "conflict," and suspiciously fails to call for Israel's full compliance with its obligations under international law through ending its illegal military occupation, its denial of Palestinian refugee rights (particularly the right of return), and its system of racial discrimination against its own Palestinian citizens. 

2. The event is sponsored by Israeli institutions (mostly from the private sector) and endorsed by mainstream Israeli political figures from parties including the Likud, Labour and Shas. These Israeli "partners" are unquestionably complicit in maintaining Israel 's occupation and other forms of oppression. 

We believe this event is being organized to promote a "peace" agreement that is devoid of the minimal requirements of justice, and that will leave the Palestinian people as disenfranchised as previous agreements have. The unfortunate and harmful support of Palestinian businessmen, religious and political figures, among others, for this event indicates either ignorance of the hidden agenda inherent in the whole initiative, deceptively camouflaged as a collective call for peace, or willingness to forfeit the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in return for advancing selfish interests. 

We call on the Palestinian public and international supporters of a just peace in Palestine not to take part in this public relations charade that conceals a misleading political program that falls significantly short of international law tenets and the Palestinian national program. 

We call on Arab and Palestinian artists, in particular, not to participate in this or any similar event whose real objectives have nothing to do with genuine peace. 

We call on Palestinian board members of the One Million Voices to withdraw their support for this movement that only serves to blind the Palestinian public and sidetrack it from struggling, with the solidarity of its international supporters, for its UN-sanctioned rights, for justice, equality and freedom. 

* Endorsed by tens of cultural and other civil society organizations in Palestine and the Arab World.

Zeina Ghaleb Saab <zsaab at MIT.EDU> wrote:
  Forwarded Message from Peace Activist, Yoni Vendriger:

On October 18th, 2007, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian and Israeli OneVoice
activists in Tel-Aviv and Jericho will run simultaneous rallies demanding peace.
On the same day, international supporters will join in Echo events in Boston,
D.C., London, Ottawa and more to demonstrate solidarity with the Israeli and
Palestinian citizens and help them reach a more peaceful and prosperous future.

Two organizations, Students for Peace and Borderless Educations offer a unique
chance for the students and the greater Boston community to be part of the One
Million Voices to End the Conflict: The Boston OneVoice Echo.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct 18, 2007, 7:30pm - 1 am
WHERE: The Middle East (downstairs), 472 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA (18+)

The Boston Echo will be a night of entertainment and inspiration, featuring two
bands, Notas de Madera and Basement Band, renowned comedy duo, Stand Up for
Peace, Harvard RecKlez, Belly Dancing, food, speakers from the three
organizations, videos from other Echos and an art exhibit to promote and voice
support for the One Million Voices campaign.

So far, 596,947 Israelis, Palestinians and international supporters have signed
the mandate. Together we can make history, and you can help reach the goal of
one million voices by signing the mandate and passing this request along around
the globe - http://www.onemillionvoices.org/

For more information about the event, the organizations, to get your ticket ($5)
or to make tax-deductible donation to help support the event, go to
www.students4peace.org

To volunteer before or at the event, email yoni.v at peacefestboston.org and also
check out and join our Facebook group at
http://emerson.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5027843583

I hope you can join us,

Yoni Vendriger
Boston OneVoice Echo Co-Chair

P.S. Here is a link to the OneVoice "Eye Opener" video featuring King Abdullah
II and other dignitaries -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34bVcLMrcRs&mode=user&search

----- End forwarded message -----
Dear Zeina,

I'm writing you and the MIT Lebanese Association this letter about a cause I'm very passionate about and hope you would find important as well: supporting OneVoice's One Million Voices to End the Conflict international campaign calling for negotiations leading to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Please share the following information with your group and pass to other students and groups who may be interested.

On October 18th, 2007, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian and Israeli OneVoice activists in Tel-Aviv and Jericho will run simultaneous rallies demanding peace.  On the same day, international supporters will join in Echo events in Boston, D.C., London, Ottawa and more to demonstrate solidarity with the Israeli and Palestinian citizens and help them reach a more peaceful and prosperous future.

Two organizations, Students for Peace and Borderless Educations offer a unique chance for the students and the greater Boston community to be part of the One Million Voices to End the Conflict: The Boston OneVoice Echo. 

WHEN:     Thursday, Oct 18, 2007, 7:30pm - 1 am
WHERE:     The Middle East (downstairs), 472 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA (18+)

The Boston Echo will be a night of entertainment and inspiration, featuring two bands, Notas de Madera and Basement Band, renowned comedy duo, Stand Up for Peace, Harvard RecKlez, Belly Dancing, food, speakers from the three organizations, videos from other Echos and an art exhibit to promote and voice support for the One Million Voices campaign. 

So far, 596, 947 Israelis, Palestinians and international supporters have signed the mandate. Together we can make history, and you can help reach the goal of one million voices by signing the mandate and passing this request along around the globe - http://www.onemillionvoices.org/ 

For more information about the event, the organizations, to get your ticket ($5) or to make tax-deductible donation to help support the event, go to www.students4peace.org 
To volunteer before or at the event, email yoni.v at peacefestboston.org and also check out and join our Facebook group at http://emerson.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5027843583   

I hope you can join us, 

Yoni Vendriger
Boston OneVoice Echo Co-Chair

P.S. Here is a link to the OneVoice "Eye Opener" video featuring King Abdullah II and other dignitaries - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34bVcLMrcRs&mode=user&search 

_______________________________________________
Lebanon-Events mailing list
Lebanon-Events at mit.edu
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/lebanon-events

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/lebanon-events/attachments/20071011/87b82573/attachment.htm