BNC Statement

United Against Apartheid, Colonialism and Occupation: Dignity & Justice for the Palestinian People

November 28, 2008
[see updated list of endorsers and download the document at the bottom of the page] The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), 29 November 2008 - Hundreds of international civil society organizations and networks endorse the Position Paper titled “United Against Apartheid, Colonialism and Occupation: Dignity & Justice for the Palestinian People” on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Today, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Palestinian civil society, represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign Natio

[see updated list of endorsers and download the document at the bottom of the page]

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), 29 November 2008 - Hundreds of international civil society organizations and networks endorse the Position Paper titled “United Against Apartheid, Colonialism and Occupation: Dignity & Justice for the Palestinian People” on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Today, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Palestinian civil society, represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign National Committee (BNC), launched its strategic position paper as a basis for anti-racist intervention at and beyond the UN Durban Review Conference. This Position Paper summarizes the findings of UN human rights mechanisms and independent experts, who have raised concerns that Israel's regime may amount to institutionalized racial discrimination and/or apartheid, as well as their substantial recommendations. It argues that 60 years into the Nakba of 1948 and 41 years into Israel's occupation of the West Bank, including eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, there is an urgent need to re-examine the nature of Israel's particular regime over the Palestinian people. Such close examination will show that this is a regime of apartheid, colonization and occupation.

This position, which reflects a growing consensus in Palestinian and global civil society, was adopted by a recent civil society forum in Bilbao (Basque country) and endorsedby networks, movements and associations worldwide, among them the landless workers movement (MST) in Brazil, the Spanish solidarity network RESCOP, the European Coordinating Committee of NGOs on Palestine (ECCP), the National Lawyers Guild and the Green Party in the United States, as well as by anti-Zionist Jewish associations and networks, particularly the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN).

Palestinian and international civil society appreciates and affirms the recent statement of the President of the UN General Assembly, who courageously and unambiguously condemned Israeli apartheid saying: “it is important that we in the United Nations use this term [...]. It is the United Nations, after all, that passed the International Convention against the Crime of Apartheid, making clear to all the world that such practices ... must be outlawed wherever they occur... More than twenty years ago we in the United Nations took the lead from civil society when we agreed that sanctions were required to provide nonviolent means of pressuring South Africa to end its violations. Today, perhaps we in the United Nations should consider following the lead of a new generation of civil society, who are calling for a similar non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to end its violations.” In 2001, the United States and Israel walked out of the World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa, because it allowed for criticism of Israel as a perpetrator of racism and racial discrimination.

The UN is organizing a Durban Review Conference in Geneva on 20 – 24 April 2009 to examine the progress made worldwide since the 2001 global anti-racism summit. Israel, the United States and Canada have already announced that they will stay away and exert pressure on the international community to exclude debate over the racist and discriminatory nature of the Israeli regime. On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we call on people of conscience the world over to shoulder the moral responsibility for ending Israel’s multifaceted oppression of the indigenous people of Palestine, thereby rekindling the hope that freedom, self-determination and a just peace will soon prevail. The BNC Position Paper, including the list of endorsements, is available in English, Arabic, Spanish and Italian, and can be downloaded here.


Endorsers of BNC Strategy Position Paper for Durban Review Conference


Members of the BNC:

1.Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine (including all Palestinian political parties)
2.Global Palestine Right of Return Coalition (12 member organizations)
3.General Union of Palestinian Workers
4.Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)
5.General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW)
6.Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO, 132 Member organizations)
7.Ittijah: Union of Arab Community Based Associations (74 member organizations)
8.Independent Federation of Unions – Palestine (IFU)
9.Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU)
10.Occupied Palestine and Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative (OPGAI, 16 member organizations)
11.Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall, 13 organizations and 50 popular committees)
12.Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
13.National Committee for the Commemoration of the Nakba (20 member organizations and networks)
14.Civil Coalition for Defending the Palestinians' Rights in Jerusalem (CCDPRJ, 18 member organizations)
15.Coalition for Jerusalem (41 Member organizations)
16.Union of Palestinian Charitable Organizations
17.Palestinian Economic Monitor


Endorsers:

1.Academic Program for the Study of Involuntary Migration, Al-Najah University (Palestine)
2.Adalah-New York (USA)
3.Advisory Group on Forced Evictions to the Executive Director of UN Habitat
4.Alkarama (Dignity) for Human Rights (Switzerland)
5.Alternative Information Center – AIC (Palestine)
6.American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee – Massachusetts (USA)
7.Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Oregon (USA)
8.Arab Commission for Human Rights (France)
9.Arab Human Rights Committee (France)
10.Arbeitskreis Nahost Berlin (Middle East Group Berlin)
11.Australians for Palestine (Australia)
12.Association Belgo-Palestinienne (Belgium)
13.L'associazione L'altra Lombardia - SU LA TESTA (Italy)
14.Birthright Unplugged (USA)
15.Breed Platform Palestina, Haarlem (Netherlands)
16.British Committee for the Universities of Palestine – BRICUP (UK)
17.Campaign to End Israeli Apartheid – Southern California (USA)
18.Canada Palestine Association - Vancouver (Canada)
19.Canadian Arab Federation (Canada)
20.Centre for Refugee Rights/ Aidoun (Lebanon)
21.Centro Presente (USA)
22.Children &Youth Centre / Chatila Camp (Lebanon)
23.Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (Canada)
24.Coalition of the Civil Society Organizations (Lebanon)
25.Coalition of Lebanese Associations in Support of Resistance and Intifada (Lebanon)
26.Collectif Urgence Palestine (Switzerland)
27.Commissione Antidiscriminazione del Forum Umanista (Italy)
28.Development Planning Unit, University of Central London (UK)
29.European Coordinating Committee on Palestine
30.Forum of NGOs working amongst Palestinian Refugee Communities, Lebanon
31.Forum Palestina (Italy)
32.Gender, Livelihoods and Resources Forum (India)
33.German Palestinian Association
34.Green Party (USA)
35.Haags Vredesplatform – Hague Peace Platform (Holland)
36.Help to Change (Italy)
37.Housing and Land Rights Network – Habitat International Coalition
38.Human Call Association / Ein El-Helweh Camp (Lebanon)
39.Humanistic Peace Council, The Netherlands
40.Institute for Arab Culture - ICArabe (Brazil)
41.International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network – IJAN
42.International Federation for Human Rights [German Section of the European Association for Human rights] (Germany)
43.International Movement for a Just World (Malaysia)
44.Internationale Socialisten (Netherlands)
45.Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Ireland)
46.International Solidarity Movement (Germany)
47.Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
48.Jerusalem Cultural Association (Lebanon)
49.Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East – EJJP (Austria)
50.Juedische Stimme fuer gerechten Frieden in Nahost- EJJP (Germany)
51.Kerk en Vrede, Utrecht (Netherlands)
52.Kurdistan Network (Italy)
53.League of Beirut's Sons/Natives (Lebanon)
54.Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST (Brazil)
55.Movimento Palestina Para Todas -MOPAT (Brazil)
56.Mouvement pour L'Autonomie Kabylie (France)
57.National Lawyers Guild (USA)
58.Netherlands Palestine Committee (Netherlands)
59.New York City Labor Against the War (USA)
60.Palästina-Solidarität Basel (Switzerland)
61.Palestijns Platform voor Mensenrechten en Solidariteit (Netherlands)
62.Palestijnse Gemeenschap in Nederland (Netherlands)
63.Palestine Foundation (Stichting Palestina)
64.Palestine House (Canada)
65.Palestine Right to Return Coalition, Al-Awda, Nederland (Netherlands)
66.Palestine Solidarity Campaign (UK)
67.Palestine Solidarity Committee (South Africa)
68.Palestine Solidarity Committee – Wits University (South Africa)
69.Palestinian Center for Rapprochement - PCR (Palestine)
70.Palestinian Committee of Norway
71.Palestinian Return Centre (UK)
72.Palestinian Youth Network – PYN (International)
73.Red Solidaria contra la Ocupación de Palestina (RESCOP) - Solidarity
Network Against the Occupation of Palestine (Spain, Catalonia and the
Basque Country). Network members:

  • Asociación Al-Quds de Solidaridad con los Pueblos del Mundo Árabe (Málaga)
  • ASPA Asociación Andaluza por la Solidaridad y Paz
  • Asociación Hispano Palestina Jerusalén (Madrid)
  • Asociación Pro-Derechos Humanos de Andalucía
  • Boicot Preventiu
  • CSCA (Madrid, Asturias)
  • Comunidad Palestina en Canarias
  • Comunitat Palestina Catalunya
  • Ecologistas en Acción
  • Grupo de ONGs por Palestina, member organizations:

ACSUR
Fundación CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al refugiado)
IEPALA
Mundubat
Solidaridad Internacional
MPDL.
Plataforma 2015 y más
Federación de Asociaciones de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos –
España

  • INTERPUEBLOS - Comité de Solidaridad con los Pueblos
  • ISM Cataluña / Valencia
  • MEWANDO (Euzkadi) - (Middle East without war and oppression), members:

Mundubat

Solidaridad Internacional-Nazioarteko Elkartasuna
Médicos del Mundo-Euskadi
Fundación Paz y Solidaridad-Comisiones Obreras de Euskadi
Coordinadora de ONG´s de Euskadi
Centro Cultural Palestino Biladi
Paz con Dignidad Euskadi

  • Mujeres por la Paz - Acción solidaria con Palestina (Canarias)
  • PCE (Madrid)
  • Palestinarekin Elkartasuna komite Internazionalistak (Euzkadi)
  • Paz Ahora
  • Paz con Dignidad
  • Plataforma de Solidaridad con Palestina (Sevilla)
  • SODEPAU
  • SODePAZ
  • Xarxa de Solidaritat amb Palestina de Valencia
  • Xarxa d'Enllaç amb Palestina

74.Red Youth of Norway
75.Rotterdam Palestine Committee (PKR)
76.Sathi all for Partnerships (India)
77.Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Scotland)
78.Socialist Youth League of Norway
79.Solidaridad Canaria (Canary Islands)
80.Stichting TALLIQ - Justice for Palestinian Children
81.StopdeOorlog Coalitie (Netherlands)
82.Stop the Occupation (Stop de Bezetting), Amsterdam
83.Tamil Center for Human Rights (France)
84.Tiye International, Utrecht (Netherlands)
85.Transnational Institute, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
86.Turkse Arbeidersvereniging in Nederland (Netherlands)
87.Voice of Palestine (Canada)
88.Vredescafé Amstelveen (Netherlands)
89.Vrije Academie, Den Haag (Netherlands)
90.Vrouwen in het Zwart Nederland (Netherlands)
91.Vrouwen Voor Vrede (Netherlands)
92.Wallmapuwen – Partido Mapuche (Chile)
93.Wheels of Justice (USA)
94.Women for Palestine (Australia)
95.Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Sweden)

November 28, 2008
/

SHARE

Stay updated!

Sign-up for news, campaign updates, action alerts and fundraisers from the BDS movement.

Subscribe Now