Boycott the Israel Ballet February 23rd

In 2006, the Israeli Foreign Ministry launched the “Brand Israel” campaign “to show Israel’s prettier face” abroad, diverting global attention from the Palestinians. This campaign includes the Israel Ballet, described by the Israeli Consulate in New York as a “cultural representative of the State of Israel.” On Tuesday, February 23rd, the Israel Ballet will show the University at Buffalo the peaceful, pretty, Western face of Israel. But instead, we should be seeing the growing list of UN reports condemning Israel for human rights violations in the occupied territories and the systemic discrimination of the twenty percent Arab population in Israel.

With twenty percent of its citizens of Palestinian Arab descent, Israel claims to be a multi-racial democracy. Yet not a single Israel Ballet dancer, not a single member of its staff or directors, is Palestinian. It does not represent the twenty percent of Israelis who attend separate schools, receive less funding for education, and face discrimination in employment, in property purchases, in language, and in law. And it certainly does not represent the 1.5 million Palestinians who suffer intolerable conditions in Gaza, where 80% live off of UN food aid and over 40% are unemployed.

In January 2009, Israel Ballet founder Berta Yampolsky said, “Luckily, right now we don’t have to worry about war: despite our problems, this is a safe place; there’s no crime, and you don’t have to be afraid at night.” I wish I could say the same thing to the Palestinian child blinded earlier that month by white phosphorus shells Israel launched at his UN School, or the other 1417 residents of Gaza killed during Israel’s widely-criticized “Operation Cast Lead”: 1181 of them civilians, 313 of them children.

People of conscience around the world have endorsed a Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions to be applied against Israel to end its discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel, to end its apartheid practices, to withdraw fully from all lands conquered in 1967, and to restore the rights of Palestinian refugees everywhere to either return to their homes or receive just compensation. In recognition of this campaign of non-violent action against Brand Israel’s state propaganda offensive, UB Students for Justice in Palestine calls on the university community to boycott the Israeli Ballet next Tuesday evening.

The Israel Ballet will perform at 8pm in the Center for the Arts, UB North Campus. Please email ubsjp48@gmail.com or call 518-364-2012 if you are interested in joining.

Bibi comments on the Iranian protests

Talk to the hand!

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu (informally called Bibi) went on NBC's Meet the Press this past Sunday to talk Iran and peace efforts. He largely failed to communicate any new positions or say anything largely surprising. He did, however, make clear his deference to President Obama and subsequently, Israel's intent to wait for U.S. approval on action over the Iranian nuclear program.

However, I must point out Bibi's blind language. In concern to the danger of oppressive regimes: "There is no question we would all like to see a different Iran [Israel] with different policies. Remember, this is a regime that not only represses its own people. Andrei Sakharov, the great Russian scientist and humanist, said that a regime that oppresses its own people sooner or later will oppress its neighbors and, certainly, Iran [Israel] has been doing that." I am glad to see that Bibi owned up to Israel's oppressive policies in concern to the occupation and its own Arab citizens; oh, wait, he didn't, darn.

Furthermore, Bibi spoke on the domestic response to his Bar-Ilan University speech. He almost said what we would all like to hear: "What I am suggesting is that if we are asked to recognize the Palestinian state as the nation state of the Palestinian people, then the Palestinians should recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people who have been deprived of a land of their own and of security for so long." However, Bibi could not see through his own turnspeak and sadly ended the interview with such a backwards statement. Shouldn't Israel recognize a Palestinian people? Who have been deprived of their land and their safety for so long? I'll let you decide.

To see the interview and read the whole transcript, Click here: Bibi on Meet the Press.

News of the Day

News has circled around Obama's speech given yesterday; however, the world keeps turning, even while Obama sleeps. So, for news from the last day: The World Council of Churches is planning to focus on Gaza at a Church week in Bethlehem; the Grand Ole Party has given a grand ole response to Obama's speech-the US is being too evenhanded!; Israeli troops responded proportionately to Palestinian rock throwers-by shooting one of the demonstrators dead; Hamas says Obama's speech was no real change; the World Bank has yet again made clear that the occupation must end; Israeli (oops), Palestinian "security forces" killed Hamas militants in the West Bank; Israeli right wingers didn't like the big man's speech; Hizbullah continues to gain in popularity; Haaretz editorials continue to be wise; settlers have now named an outpost after Obama; Palestinians resist, yet again, efforts to stamp out their culture; and uhh...here are some more opinions on everything:

Ali Abunimah--Obama in Cairo:a Bush in sheep's clothing

David Ignatius: To make peace, Obama will have to make serious enemies

Stephen M. Walt (Why the middle initial, Steve?): Is the Israel Lobby getting weaker?