Fight-back against the Co-op boycott continues

I am writing to update you about a number of issues:

 

Fight-back against the Co-op boycott continues

Supporters of Israel, co-ordinated by We Believe in Israel and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, have continued the fight-back against the Co-op Group’s boycott of produce from four Israeli companies. We had a presence at Co-op half-yearly area members’ meetings last weekend in Cambridge, Manchester, North London, Salisbury and Wrexham, making the case against the boycott. At the North London meeting an opponent of the boycott was elected as Member Delegate to the Co-op AGM on a manifesto that stated “say no to boycotts”. We will be at seven other area meetings in the next few weeks.
 
Steven Jaffe from the BoD has been working to get local petitions handed in to Co-op stores and publicised in local and regional newspapers. Since the summer supporters of Israel have organised petitions of local stores across the country, including Belfast, Bangor, Southbourne, Liverpool, Ealing and Belvedere (Kent), Belmont, Kenton, Lisburn, Wimbledon, Bournemouth, North Wales and Brighton.  There will be petitions going into local stores in the next few weeks in North Antrim, Cornwall, Leicester and Yorkshire. If you can help organise a local petition please email me and I will put you in contact with Steven.

Warn your MP about the PSC lobby of Parliament

Anti-Israel campaigners from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) are holding their annual lobby of Parliament on 27 November. This involves members of the PSC from around the country travelling to London to meet with their constituency MPs.
 
The PSC appears to oppose a two state solution. The PSC exclusively supports the national rights of the Palestinians, despite the UN having tried to create two states in 1948. While the PSC keeps its official position on final status solutions ambiguous, the views of its leadership, literature and their logo point to the PSC effectively supporting the end of the State of Israel.
 
The national PSC is known for its harsh criticism of Israel, but statements issued by local affiliates can be far more extreme and have also displayed antisemitism. The PSC is aware itself of the expressions of racism, intolerance and Holocaust denial within the movement but seems unable to put a stop to it, even though it maintains it opposes anti-Jewish prejudice.
 
You can see more detail about the PSC in this leaflet: http://gallery.mailchimp.com/4f205ffabc02c1048c024eebe/files/Who_are_the_PSC.pdf

It is vital that MPs who are lobbied by the PSC on 27 November are made aware of the extreme views of the people they are meeting. But to do this, we need your help.
 
Please write a letter (ideally by post rather than email) to your Member of Parliament, asking whether they are meeting with anyone associated with the PSC and if so, if they are aware of the views of that organisation. In addition, please ask your MP to raise the following points if they meet the PSC:
 
·         Does the PSC support a two state solution to the Middle East conflict (as the PLO, Israel and the Quartet do)?
·         Why does the PSC consistently host extremist speakers at its events?
·         Why have so many PSC local groups felt that is appropriate to post antisemitic material on their websites?
 
You might want to include a copy of the leaflet linked to above.
 
By writing to your MP you will not only be alerting them to the extreme views of the people they may be asked to meet, but will also be providing them with the information to challenge those views. Please take a few minutes to make this important contribution to preventing the delegitimisation in Parliament of Israel and those who support the Jewish State.
 
To find out who your MP is, use the website http://www.writetothem.com . If possible please send a postal letter, as this has more impact than an email, and address it to your MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
 
I would appreciate being sent copies of any replies you receive.

Boycotters defeated in Brent

Efforts by anti-Israel campaigners to promote a boycott of Veolia because it is involved in the Jerusalem tram project have been seen off in the London Borough of Brent. Brent Council has awarded a nine year public realm contract worth £142m to Veolia, covering winter gritting, refuse collection, grounds maintenance in parks, grave digging and commercial waste collection.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, the Leader of Brent Council said he hopes to achieve £14.9m savings by encouraging residents to recycle more waste to reduce landfill costs, and by earning cash from the sale of recyclable materials. He said: “The whole idea is to make the borough a safer, greener place … The contract is about delivering a better place to work and play. It will be easier to manage and administer.” The full story is here:http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/controversial_company_wins_council_s_brent_council_s_public_realm_contract_1_2883016

Help us grow the We Believe in Israel network

If you know other supporters of Israel, please encourage them to join our mailing list.
 
People can sign up using this form:http://eepurl.com/mIh3D . We want to make sure the maximum number of people get to hear about our events, campaigns and information.
 
Or you can give us their email details here:http://www.webelieveinisrael.org.uk/sign-up-your-friends/
 
If you or your friends prefer to use social media networks, you and they can:
 
·         “Like” our Facebook Page here:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/We-Believe-in-Israel/191388894239685
·         Join our Facebook Group here:http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/webelieveinisrael/
·         Follow us on Twitter here:http://twitter.com/WeBelieveIsrael
·         Join our Linkedin Group here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4123492
 
Please do spread the word – the We Believe in Israel network will only grow through your efforts.

Best wishes,


Luke Akehurst
Director, We Believe in Israel