Oct 17, 2011

#BDS: The Sensitive Case of Boycott among Palestinians Inside Israel

"At what point does Palestinian culture become complicit in whitewashing Israel’s crimes? Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish examines the specificities of cultural production under Israeli occupation among ‘48 Palestinians living in Israel.

Occupied Jerusalem – The cultural boycott of Israel invites contested debate among Palestinians living in Israel. It’s true that the boycott has gained a consensus as of late, but limits of the boycott seem more problematic for Israeli Palestinians compared to people living outside Israel. This is because funds enshrining civil rights such as health and education provided by the Israeli state to Arab ‘citizens’ are mixed with state-funded cultural production. This funding accomplishes more than a symbolic act and goes well beyond simple matters of Palestinian rights as citizens of Israel. It establishes a climate of complicity with the state that is hard to disentangle, especially in the context of calls for a cultural boycott."

Read more: http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sensitive-case-boycott-among-palestinians-inside-israel

Lebanese Concert Promoter Sues #BDS Activists

"Lebanese anti-Israel activists are being sued by a concert promoter for their boycott campaign against a popular British rock group.

Samah Idriss, director of Dar al-Adab publishing house, received a court summons this Thursday from Beirut's commerce court. Idriss is implicated in a lawsuit for his involvement in a Lebanese boycott campaign against the British rock group Placebo last year. Jihad el-Murr, who heads the company that organized the event, filed the suit on 10 July 2011.

El-Murr is suing Idriss, as well as three other groups involved in the campaign: the Aidoun Refugee Rights Center, the Campaign to Boycott the Supporters of Israel in Lebanon, and the Global BDS Campaign in Lebanon. El-Murr, a self-described famous businessman from a prominent family, is demanding US$180,000 compensation for his company’s financial losses allegedly caused by the boycott campaign."

Read more: http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanese-concert-promoter-sues-bds-activists