One year on: Palestinian civil society calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions

One year after the historic Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found Israel's Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal, Israel continues its construction of the colonial Wall with total disregard to the Court's decision. Thirty eight years into Israel's occupation of the Palestinian West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights, Israel continues to expand Jewish colonies. It has unilaterally annexed occupied East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and is now de facto annexing large parts of the West Bank by means of the Wall.

Israel is also preparing - in the shadow of its planned redeployment from the Gaza Strip - to build and expand colonies in the West Bank. Fifty seven years after the state of Israel was built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners, a majority of Palestinians are refugees, most of whom are stateless. Moreover, Israel's entrenched system of racial discrimination against its own Arab-Palestinian citizens remains intact.

In light of Israel's persistent violations of international law, and

Given that, since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel's colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and

Given that all forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and

In view of the fact that people of conscience in the international community have historically shouldered the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified in the struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through diverse forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions;

Inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid and in the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression,

We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era. We appeal to you to pressure your respective states to impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We also invite conscientious Israelis to support this Call, for the sake of justice and genuine peace.

These non-violent punitive measures should be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;

2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and

3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

Endorsed by: The Palestinian political parties, unions, associations, coalitions and organizations below represent the three integral parts of the people of Palestine: Palestinian refugees, Palestinians under occupation and Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine (coordinating body for the major political parties in the Occupied Palestinian Territory); Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights (PICCR); Union of Arab Community Based Associations (ITTIJAH), Haifa; Forum of Palestinian NGOs in Lebanon; Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU); General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW); General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT); Federation of Unions of Palestinian Universities' Professors and Employees; Consortium of Professional Associations; Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC); Health Work Committees - West Bank; Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC); Union of Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC); Union of Health Work Committees - Gaza (UHWC); Union of Palestinian Farmers; Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative (OPGAI); General Union of Disabled Palestinians; Palestinian Federation of Women's Action Committees (PFWAC); Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI); Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign; Union of Teachers of Private Schools; Union of Women's Work Committees, Tulkarem (UWWC); Dentists' Association - Jerusalem Center; Palestinian Engineers Association; Lawyers' Association; Network for the Eradication of Illiteracy and Adult Education, Ramallah; Coordinating Committee of Rehabilitation Centers - West Bank; Coalition of Lebanese Civil Society Organizations (150 organizations); Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Network of Student-based Canadian University Associations; Al-Ard Committees for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria; Al-Awda Charitable Society, Beit Jala; Al Awda - Palestine Right-to-Return Coalition, U.S.A; Al-Awda Toronto; Aidun Group - Lebanon; Aidun Group - Syria; Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Center, Aida refugee camp; Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), Nazareth; BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Bethlehem; Committee for Definite Return, Syria; Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights, Nablus; Consortium of the Displaced Inhabitants of Destroyed Palestinian Villages and Towns; Filastinuna - Commission for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria; Handala Center, 'Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem; High Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return, Jordan (including personal endorsement of 71 members of parliament, political parties and unions in Jordan); High National Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return , Ramallah; International Right of Return Congress (RORC); Jermana Youth Forum for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria; Laji Center, Aida camp, Bethlehem; Local Committee for Rehabilitation, Qalandia refugee camp, Jerusalem; Local Committee for Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem; Palestinian National Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria; Palestinian Return Association, Syria; Palestinian Return Forum, Syria; Palestine Right-of-Return Coalition (Palestine, Arab host countries, Europe, North America); Palestine Right-of-Return Confederation-Europe (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden); Palestinian Youth Forum for the Right of Return, Syria; PLO Popular Committees - West Bank refugee camps; PLO Popular Committees - Gaza Strip refugee camps; Popular Committee - al-'Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem; Popular Committee - Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem; Shaml - Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Center, Ramallah; Union of Women's Activity Centers - West Bank Refugee Camps; Union of Youth Activity Centers - Palestine Refugee Camps, West Bank and Gaza; Women's Activity Center - Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem; Yafa Cultural Center, Balata refugee camp, Nablus; Abna' al-Balad Society, Nablus; Addameer Center for Human Rights, Gaza; Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association, Ramallah; Alanqa' Cultural Association, Hebron; Al-Awda Palestinian Folklore Society, Hebron; Al-Doha Children's Cultural Center, Bethlehem; Al-Huda Islamic Center, Bethlehem; Al-Jeel al-Jadid Society, Haifa; Al-Karameh Cultural Society, Um al-Fahm; Al-Maghazi Cultural Center, Gaza; Al-Marsad Al-Arabi, occupied Syrian Golan Heights; Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Gaza; Al-Nahda Cultural Forum, Hebron; Al-Taghrid Society for Culture and Arts, Gaza; Alternative Tourism Group, Beit Sahour (ATG); Al-Wafa' Charitable Society, Gaza; Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ); Arab Association for Human Rights, Nazareth (HRA); Arab Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD); Arab Center for Agricultural Development-Gaza; Arab Education Institute (AEI) - Pax Christie Bethlehem; Arab Orthodox Charitable Society - Beit Sahour; Arab Orthodox Charity - Beit Jala; Arab Orthodox Club - Beit Jala; Arab Orthodox Club - Beit Sahour; Arab Students' Collective, University of Toronto; Arab Thought Forum, Jerusalem (AFT); Association for Cultural Exchange Hebron - France; Association Najdeh, Lebanon; Authority for Environmental Quality, Jenin; Bader Society for Development and Reconstruction, Gaza; Canadian Palestine Foundation of Quebec, Montreal; Center for the Defense of Freedoms, Ramallah; Center for Science and Culture, Gaza; Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ramallah- Al-Bireh District; Child Development and Entertainment Center, Tulkarem; Committee for Popular Participation, Tulkarem; Defense for Children International-Palestine Section, Ramallah (DCI/PS); El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe; Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Bethlehem; Environmental Education Center, Bethlehem; FARAH - Palestinian Center for Children, Syria; Ghassan Kanafani Society for Development, Gaza; Ghassan Kanafani Forum, Syria; Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Gaza (GCMHP); Golan for Development, occupied Syrian Golan Heights; Halhoul Cultural Forum, Hebron; Himayeh Society for Human Rights, Um al-Fahm; Holy Land Trust - Bethlehem; Home of Saint Nicholas for Old Ages - Beit Jala; Human Rights Protection Center, Lebanon; In'ash al-Usrah Society, Ramallah; International Center of Bethlehem (Dar An-Nadweh); Islah Charitable Society-Bethlehem; Jafra Youth Center, Syria; Jander Center, al-Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem; Jerusalem Center for Women, Jerusalem (JCW); Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC ); Khalil Al Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah; Land Research Center, Jerusalem (LRC); Liberated Prisoners' Society, Palestine; Local Committee for Social Development, Nablus; Local Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Nablus; MA'AN TV Network, Bethlehem; Medical Aid for Palestine, Canada; MIFTAH-Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, Ramallah; Muwatin-The Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy; National Forum of Martyr's Families, Palestine; Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugee Work - Gaza Area; Network of Christian Organizations - Bethlehem (NCOB); Palestinian Council for Justice and Peace, Jerusalem; Palestinian Counseling Center, Jerusalem (PCC); Palestinian Democratic Youth Union, Lebanon; Palestinian Farmers' Society, Gaza; Palestinian Hydrology Group for Water and Environment Resources Development-Gaza; Palestinian Prisoners' Society-West Bank; Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, Gaza; Palestinian University Students' Forum for Peace and Democracy, Hebron; Palestinian Women's Struggle Committees; Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD); Popular Art Centre, Al-Bireh; Prisoner's Friends Association - Ansar Al-Sajeen, Majd al-Krum; Public Aid Association, Gaza; Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies; Saint Afram Association - Bethlehem; Saint Vincent De Paule - Beit Jala; Senior Citizen Society - Beit Jala; Social Development Center, Nablus; Society for Self-Development, Hebron; Society for Social Work, Tulkarem; Society for Voluntary Work and Culture, Um al-Fahm; Society of Friends of Prisoners and Detainees, Um al-Fahm; Sumoud-Political Prisoners Solidarity Group, Toronto; Tamer Institute for Community Education, Ramallah; TCC - Teacher's Creativity Center, Ramallah; Wi'am Center, Bethlehem; Women's Affairs Technical Committee, Ramallah and Gaza (WATC); Women's Studies Center, Jerusalem (WSC); Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counseling, Jerusalem (WCLAC); Yafa for Education and Culture, Nablus; Yazour Charitable Society, Nablus; The East Jerusalem YMCA; Youth Cooperation Forum, Hebron; YWCA of Palestine; Zakat Committee-al-Khader, Bethlehen; Zakat Committee-Deheishe camp, Bethlehem.

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