[Sayed Dhansay, Electronic Intifada] - A few weeks ago I departed from South Africa for the Gaza Strip in order to take up a short-term voluntary post with a humanitarian organization there. As the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is effectively the only passage in and out of the besieged territory, flying to Cairo was my only option in gaining access to Gaza.

[Human Rights Watch] - This 39-page report details six incidents resulting in 29 civilian deaths, among them eight children. Human Rights Watch found that Israeli forces failed to take all feasible precautions to verify that these targets were combatants, as required by the laws of war, or that they failed to distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups have reported a total of 42 drone attacks that killed civilians, 87 in all, during the fighting in December 2008 and January 2009.

[Stop the Wall] - Elbit Systems is one of the largest Israeli security and defense firms, specializing in military electronics, surveillance systems, UAVs and homeland security systems. The company provides both UAVs and other military technology for Occupation forces as well as security systems for the Wall and settlements.

[Amira Hass, Haaretz] - Norway is reexamining its investments in several Israeli companies, in particular Elbit Systems. Two representatives of the Council on Ethics of the Norwegian finance ministry visited Israel at the beginning of June, in the wake of growing criticism of Israel in Norway in the months following last winter's Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid and Women in Solidarity with Palestine have launched a protest against the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), for their exhibition of the looted Dead Sea Scrolls. For past two weeks, they have conduced successful protests (see video, pictures and media coverage below). Friday pickets are ongoing to keep up the pressure on the ROM and to continue to inform the public about the theft of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The demands of the protest are:

- Demanding the ROM recognize the Scrolls are looted Palestinian artifacts.

Philippa Hawker, The Age, July 18, 2009 - ENGLISH filmmaker Ken Loach has withdrawn his film Looking for Eric from the Melbourne International Film Festival because the festival receives funding from the Israeli Government.

Loach told the festival if it did not reconsider the sponsorship, he would not allow the festival to screen his film.

The last year has seen significant growth in the BDS movement.  Trade union commitments, student occupations and initiatives by groups working for solidarity with Palestine have together transformed the landscape here in the UK and elsewhere.  The Gaza massacres were the major factor in shifting opinion but, at enormous cost to Palestinians, this has greatly expanded support for the BDS campaign.