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ISRAEL DIVESTMENT MOVEMENT SURGES IN OLYMPIA
Archbishop Tutu Endorses Olympia Co-op's Israel Boycott
from Olympia Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
The Olympia Food Co-op's July decision to honor the international call for boycott of Israeli goods has inspired an inundation of phone calls, e-mails, and petition signatures supporting the solidarity gesture, including an endorsement from South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
The Archbishop endorsed the boycott with the following statement:
“I, Desmond Tutu, fully support and endorse the Olympia Food Co-op's boycott of Israeli products. The Olympia Food Co-op has joined a growing worldwide movement on the part of citizens and the private sector to support by non-violent tangible acts the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination. Cooperatives have a long history of working for and with the oppressed to strive for a better world, and now Olympia Food Coop has been the first to build off of that legacy in support of freedom for Palestinians. I encourage other cooperatives, grocers, and businesses to follow their courageous example of boycotting Israeli goods and for shoppers to support their principled stand.”
The Co-op has also received the endorsement of all major Palestinian agricultural and farmers' unions. In a letter received July 26, the organizations make the following statement:
“The Olympia Food Co-op has demonstrated its courage and commitment to human rights by adopting a concrete and courageous measure in a show of genuine solidarity with the indigenous Palestinian people We sincerely hope that their decision to stand with justice will not waver under the immense intimidation and bullying that Israel lobby groups will undoubtedly unleash against them. We believe that the most effective support conscientious individuals and groups across the US can provide to the Olympia Food Co-op is by starting their own local BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) campaigns that follow Olympia’s lead, branding Israeli products and services everywhere as stained with injustice and war crimes, just as South African products were treated during apartheid. Only thus can justice prevail and peace be attained and sustained.”
The Olympia Food Co-op has been the focus of international attention since the July 15 decision to honor the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) for human rights. The Co-op became the first US grocer to publicly join this call.
“Rachel Corrie took a stand in March 2003 for a Palestinian family whose home was threatened with demolition,” says boycott supporter Cindy Corrie, the mother of the slain human rights activist. “We believe it fitting that the Olympia Food Co-op, of which she was a member, now stands with millions throughout the world who say, 'Enough.'”
“This outpouring of support demonstrates the global impact of decisions made in Olympia,” says boycott supporter Chance Kroll. “As a co-op member it makes me keenly aware that what I buy makes a tangible difference to the Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers who risk imprisonment or even death for their work.”
The online petition in support of the boycott has as of this writing received over 1600 signatures from the community and internationally. The list currently grows by about 200 signatures each day. A list of other notable endorsers is attached, and can be found at www.olympiabds.org/get-involved/petition-in-support-of-the-olympia-food-co-op.html.
cartoon by George Jartos
Evergreen State College Students Vote to Divest
from TESC Divest
On June 2, 2010, students at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, made history by passing two resolutions regarding the Palestine/Israel conflict.
The first resolution calls for The Evergreen State College Foundation to divest from companies that profit from Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, as part of instituting a socially responsible investment policy.
The second resolution calls on the College to ban the use of Caterpillar, Inc. equipment from campus.
While other US colleges have passed similar divestment resolutions, these are the first such resolutions passed by direct vote by an entire student body. Additionally, the Evergreen student government unanimously passed its own resolution strongly supporting the measures.
The second resolution targets the Caterpillar Corporation, which is responsible for knowingly selling equipment for war crimes and military use against a civilian population, despite calls to cease sales by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other human rights organizations. Israeli military officials have acknowledged that Caterpillar is a “key weapon” in its continuing occupation of Palestine. Activists worldwide have waged a campaign for several years to hold Caterpillar accountable.
Evergreen senior Rachel Corrie was killed in 2003 by a weaponized Caterpillar bulldozer as she attempted to prevent the demolition of a civilian Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to claim that Corrie was not run over by the armored bulldozer, contradicting every eyewitness testimony.
The resolutions have received broad support outside of the campus, including an endorsement by Jewish Voice for Peace. Organizers also received a touching letter of support by students in the Gaza Strip, who wrote, “We strongly believe that through steadfast campaigns and grassroots efforts, those dissident voices—people of conscience and bravery—will be victorious.” (Letter available at tescdivest.org)
For more information, and for the complete text of the resolutions, please visit www.tescdivest.org.
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