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20 April 2009 -- Thousands of people have gathered in Geneva from all corners of the globe to attend the Durban Review Conference.   Despite official efforts to exclude the voices of the victims, it has brought together many civil society actors struggling against racial discrimination, including those working to end Israel’s regime of racism and racial discrimination against the Palestinians. The latter have just completed a two-day Israel Review Conference that was held on 18-19 April 2009.  

As UN Blocks Plestine-Related Side Events at Durban Review Conference, Palestinian Civil Society Launches “Israel Review Conference” in Geneva on the Eve of Durban Review  

Defense Industry Daily - Britain has given the green light to the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program. The initial August 2005 contract award to Thales UK was worth around GBP 700 million, and the program expected to create or sustain up to 2,100 high-quality manufacturing jobs in the UK. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform, and executed via a joint venture.

Simon Lieblin Brown Daily Herald 15 April 2009  

The five Scottish PSC members who were arrested when they disrupted the performance of the Israeli-state-sponsored Jerusalem Quartet at last August’s Edinburgh Festival will be at Edinburgh Sheriff Court (Chambers St) on Friday from 9.30am. In the aftermath of the Gaza massacres, in what appears to have been a demonstration of solidarity with Israel, the original charge of Breach of the Peace was swapped for one of “racially aggravated conduct”. This is a clear push to quash the increasing international campaign to Boycott Apartheid Israel by attempting to criminalise it.

The five Scottish PSC members who were arrested when they disrupted the performance of the Israeli-state-sponsored Jerusalem Quartet at last August’s Edinburgh Festival will be at Edinburgh Sheriff Court (Chambers St) on Friday from 9.30am. In the aftermath of the Gaza massacres, in what appears to have been a demonstration of solidarity with Israel, the original charge of Breach of the Peace was swapped for one of “racially aggravated conduct”. This is a clear push to quash the increasing international campaign to Boycott Apartheid Israel by attempting to criminalise it.

Cnaan Liphshiz [Haaretz] 11 April 2009 -- The Netherlands must impose economic sanctions against Israel if the new government in Jerusalem thwarts the peace process with the Palestinians, the Dutch Labor party said last week.

The Dead Sea scrolls, confiscated from East Jerusalem during Israel‘s 1967 military invasion and occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, are coming to Toronto. The move is part of Israel consul general Amir Gissin‘s official "Brand Israel" campaign that attempts to ‘rebrand‘ apartheid Israel beyond its systematic repression of the Palestinian people.

The Dead Sea scrolls, confiscated from East Jerusalem during Israel‘s 1967 military invasion and occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, are coming to Toronto. The move is part of Israel consul general Amir Gissin‘s official "Brand Israel" campaign that attempts to ‘rebrand‘ apartheid Israel beyond its systematic repression of the Palestinian people.

Globes - The silent vehicle uses a powerful electric motor backed by a diesel engine.

By Salim Vally [Links International Journal] April 2009 - There are moments in modern history when particular struggles galvanise millions around the world to act in solidarity.   This occurred during the Spanish Civil War, the struggle of the Vietnamese people against US imperialism and the liberation struggles of Southern Africa. The time has now come for progressive humanity to cut through the obfuscations, canards and calumnies and meaningfully support the resistance of the Palestinian people.

Justin Podur interviews Omar Barghouti for Upping the Ante 5 April 2009   Omar Barghouti is an activist and writer based in Palestine. He was one of the early advocates of a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions strategy against Israel's occupation and apartheid policies. He was one of the headline speakers of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) 2009. I interviewed him in Toronto on March 2, 2009.