Don't Buy Israeli Apartheid for Christmas - Melbourne 3 Dec 2010.wmv

In October 2010, Australian Palestine solidarity activists and supporters of human rights held their first national Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) conference in support of Palestine. The Conference brought together more than 150 activists and supporters of human rights from around the country and launched a year-long national BDS campaign (for details see: http://australianbdscampaign.wordpress.com/ )

Following the successful BDS conference, Melbourne Palestine solidarity groups and individuals formed the "Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid". On 3 December, as part of the national "Don't Buy Israeli Apartheid for Christmas" actions, the Coalition held a successful picket of the Israeli cosmetic company, Jericho.




Jericho uses minerals exploited from the Dead Sea. While Jericho profits from the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley region has been declared off limits to the Palestinian people by Israel. Palestinian access to the Dead Sea is prevented due to Israel's military occupation, via a network of checkpoints, military orders, exclusions zones and the Apartheid Wall. As a result, Palestinians are denied not only access to a major economic resource such as the Dead Sea, but also their traditional agricultural land and water sources in the Jordan Valley (see: http://www.btselem.org/english/Settlements/Jordan_Valley.asp )

The Palestinian initiated BDS campaign was launched in 2005 by Palestinian civil society, including more than 171 Palestinian organisations, political parties, trade unions and associations (see the call here: http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52 )

Inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid, the Palestinian-initiated BDS campaign is conducted in the framework of international solidarity and resistance to injustice and oppression and calls for non-violent punitive measures to be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognise the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with international law.

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News & Politics

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• Melbourne
• BDS
• Boycott
• Divestment
• Sanctions
• Apartheid
• Israel
• Palestine
• Occupation
• Australia
• Christmas