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BDS Joins the Global Call for Climate Justice at COP26

The struggles against colonialism, racism and militarization, and for climate, economic and social justice are profoundly interconnected. Palestinians too, seek climate justice by holding governments and corporations to account. Palestine is a climate justice issue.

What is COP26?

Every year, the United Nations holds a global climate change conference known as the 'Conference of the Parties'. From October 31th 2021 to November 12th 2021,  world leaders will meet in Glasgow for the 26th annual session, or COP26.

As the climate emergency gets worse across the planet, wreaking havoc on every continent but disproportionately devastating poorer nations and oppressed communities, decisions made at COP26 will have long-reaching effects on those currently most affected by climate change. 

Palestine is a Climate Justice Issue!

The catastrophic climate crisis is exacerbated by global inequality and oppression and engineered by complicit governments and corporations that put profit before people and planet. 

This is especially true when it comes to Israel’s apartheid. 

The climate crisis disproportionately affects Palestinians living under, and resisting, Israeli occupation, apartheid and settler-colonialism. Indigenous Palestinians living under these conditions, with no control over their land or natural resources, are highly vulnerable to the climate crisis. With Israel monopolizing resources, rising temperatures are exacerbating desertification as well as water and land scarcity, entrenching climate apartheid. 

Israeli corporations such as Netafim, Mekorot and Haifa Chemicals, as well as settler-colonial organizations like the Jewish National Fund (JNF) play a key role in apartheid Israel’s destruction of Palestinian agriculture, dispossession of Palestinian farmers, and land grabs to strengthen Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise.  

While Israel destroys Palestinian agriculture and livelihood of farmers, practices apartheid and colonizes Palestinian lands through its agro-business, it sells itself and its agribusiness industry in the global south as providing solutions for sustainable agriculture. Yet these practices are often exploitative, unsustainable, and exacerbate existing issues in various regions. 

Multinational corporations like AXA and HSBC are also complicit in Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people. They invest in companies and banks arming Israel, financing its illegal settlements and pillaging Palestinian land and natural resources.

Israel Greenwashes Apartheid!

Apartheid Israel projects a false climate-friendly image to the world while pillaging Palestinian natural resources and destroying the environment. Since the occupation of the remainder of Palestine in 1967- the West Bank and the Gaza Strip- Israel uprooted more than 2.5 million trees,  including over 800,000 ancient Palestinian olive trees.  

Israel’s racist and false claim, “making the desert bloom,” is intended to hide its violent destruction of Palestinian society and its unsustainable agricultural and water use practices. 

For example, 97.7% of Israel’s electricity production comes from fossil fuels, including natural gas extracted in part by illegally pillaging Palestinian gas resources. The Eastern Mediterranean pipeline, or EastMed, is a planned offshore/onshore natural gas pipeline, directly connecting apartheid Israel’s energy resources to Europe. Israel not only denies Palestinians access to gas reserves off the coast of Gaza but has also illegally exploited these resources for its exclusive benefit while depriving Indigenous Palestinians of revenues. All the while, two million Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer acute electricity shortages compounded by Israel’s refusal to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power. 

Through the EuroAsia Interconnector, apartheid Israel is seeking to export energy to Europe to create dependency upon its fossil fuel-based and illicitly generated energy sources. Crucially, the Interconnector would connect Europe’s electricity grid with Israel’s grid that incorporates the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, implicating Europe in Israel’s war crimes.

Expose the JNF!

Israel’s greenwashing and apartheid policies are made possible through complicit governments, companies and institutions that support and enable its regime of oppression. One such major institution is the Jewish National Fund. For 120 years, the JNF has been responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians. Most recently the JNF has been behind the demolition and expulsion of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem neighbourhoods like Silwan, as part of its involvement in supporting illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.  Now the JNF seeks to greenwash its crimes as a participant in the COP26 climate summit. Join the BDS movement at COP26 to expose the JNF!

Take Action Now!

Join the Palestine Solidarity Bloc during the global demonstrations for climate justice on 6th November. 

Tweet: The Jewish National Fund greenwash Israeli apartheid & is a racist org. responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians & the destruction of the environment. It has no place at #COP26. Join me & #ExposeJNF & Israeli greenwashing.</p>
<p>pic.twitter.com/kzXwf1LJ0sThe Jewish National Fund greenwashes Israeli apartheid. #ExposeJNF now!

Tweet: Multinational and Israeli corporations such as @AXA, @HSBC, @NetafimCorp, @mekorot_il and @HaifaGroup, play a key role in Israeli greenwashing and the destruction of Palestinian agriculture, dispossession, and land grabs.</p>
<p>#COP26</p>
<p>https://bit.ly/3CuOxj3<br />
Multinational and Israeli corporations greenwash Israeli apartheid and environmental destruction.

 


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