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Israel may be forgiven for failing to realize the current fiscal woes of the United States. After all, US military aid to Israel not only sailed unscathed through this month’s passage of the 2011 budget, but reached the record level of $3 billion. The US additionally provided Israel $415 million for procurement, research and development of joint US-Israeli missile defense projects, including $205 million to fund Israel’s newly-deployed Iron Dome system.

This article was written in 2010 as a foreword to a BNC e-magazine commemorating the 5th anniversary of the BDS call in July 9th 2005. Click here to read other contributions.  

As the cultural boycott of Israel gains pace around the world, some artists, writers and cultural workers are finding it increasingly difficult to engage consistently and coherently with the arguments posed by those advocating for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). Insisting on performing music, exhibiting artwork or accepting literary prizes in Israel, these cultural figures have resorted to one of at least three arguments to defend their violations of the cultural boycott guidelines set by Palestinian civil society.

The Ethical Council of the four Swedish AP buffer pension funds (AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4) is calling on US communications giant Motorola Solutions to pull out of the Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank. The Council wants the company, spun out of Motorola earlier this year, to cease delivery and maintenance of a custom-designed monitoring system for the settlements in the Palestinian territories. It states the settlements are located on occupied land and violate international humanitarian law.

Early this morning three activists locked themselves to the Brighton arms factory EDO/ITT, in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Six Palestinians have been killed over the bank holiday weekend by Israeli air strikes in Gaza.

The Australians for Palestine team arrived in Sydney on Monday to give support to Marrickville BDS and the Marrickville councillors.  It was, we felt, an historic occasion for BDS in Australia.  On Tuesday evening, the  Marrickville Council Chambers was packed to the rafters with crowds of people outside wanting to hear the vote on BDS after months of savage attacks on the councillors who had supported its adoption last December.

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), the broadest coalition of Palestinian political parties, trade unions, NGOs and networks, warmly salutes those Marrickville councillors who remained steadfast and principled in their support of the three fundamental Palestinian rights that constitute the core of the boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS).