7pm Thursday 19th February 2015, Mullumbimby Civic Hall
Byron BDS Conference 2015 – Thursday 19th February Mullumbimby Civic Hall
2015 Byron Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) Conference:
A Case for Sanctions against Israel
Organised by the Byron Friends of Palestine
Following the 2012 highly successful Byron BDS Conference, Assoc. Professor Jake Lynch, Director of the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPACS), University of Sydney, will be the key speaker for this year’s Byron BDS Conference .
Dr Lynch has a long and distinguished career in peace media, academia and as an adviser to non-government organisations around the world regarding peace-building initiatives in areas of conflict. His work has taken him to Jordan, Indonesia, Philippines, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Serbia & Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan, to name but a few. Dr Lynch’s current research and teaching interests include Peace & Conflict Studies; Human Rights; Media and Conflict.
In 2013 Dr Lynch declined a fellowship application from an Israeli academic in keeping with CPACS’s official commitment to the global BDS campaign, a non-violent economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel in order to pressure it to comply with international law. As a result, the Israeli Legal Centre Shurat HaDin accused him of anti-semitism and of violating the Racial Discrimination Act. They mounted a court case against him claiming they wanted a “permanent global fix” to the BDS problem by targeting boycott activism not only in Australia, but globally. Dr Lynch was victorious.Following the failure of U.S. sponsored peace talks and Israel’s subsequent attacks on Gaza during 2014, there is a global upsurge in support for BDS which is damaging Israel’s economy and reinforcing its pariah status.
The 2015 Byron BDS Conference welcomes Dr Lynch’s insights into the intractable Palestinian/Israel conflict and the crucial role the BDS campaign plays in breaking the deadlock. He is an inspiring speaker and always ready to answer questions.Time: 7pm- 9pm
Date: Thursday, 19 February 2015.
Place: Mullumbimby Civic Hall, 55 Dalley Street.
Cost: $5 (oncession $3)
(Refreshments available)–
Byron Friends of Palestine
Byron Friends of Palestine has been established with a view to informing intelligent, peaceful but progressive discussion and determined action on the issue of Palestinian human, civil, sovereign and political rights. We are pleased to welcome Samah Sabawi as our guest speaker for this event. This conference is a rare opportunity to hear an authoritative Palestinian voice speaking on the issue of international law and the quest for equality and justice in Palestine. Byron Friends of Palestine can be accessed via Facebook:
Byron Friends of Palestine
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“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ~ George Orwell
Links:
Australians for Palestine
PACBI
Australian Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Campaign for Palestine
BDSmovement.net | Palestinian BDS National Committee
Kim Bullimore on the boycott, divestment and sanction of Israel
Israel’s Weapons a Crime on Humanity | Occupied Palestine | فلسطين
Boycott Israel News: Researcher Says Israel Responsible for at least 97.8 Percent of Serious Human Rights Abuses in Conflict
Australian Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Campaign for Palestine
From Balfour to Obama: Colonial Thinking on Palestine : Information Clearing House
An Ethical Critique of the United States-Israel Alliance | Journal of Religion, Conflict, and Peace“Passivity always serves the interests of the status quo”. Salman Rushdie
Simon McKeon is Chairman of the Board of CSIRO and also Chairman of Global Poverty Project Australia. He is leading the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC)’s Innovation, Technology, Science and Social Ventures Trade Mission to Israel on May 10 -16, 2015. For a man of conscience involved in reviews of medical and multiple sclerosis research, global poverty, World Vision and as a past Director of the Archbishop of Melbourne’s Relief and Development Fund, this trip is totally inappropriate.
Israel’s blitzkrieg against the 1.5 million besieged people of Gaza (which Israel calls “mowing the lawn”) unleashed the destructive might of the world’s 11th most powerful military using white phosphorus, cluster bombs and probably depleted uranium. Experimental weapons were also field tested in what can only be described as vivisection without anaesthesia, because doctors like Norwegian Mads Gilbert said they had never before encountered such injuries.
Simon’s World Vision states:
To date, 100,000 Palestinians remain displaced living in dire conditions in schools and poor condition shelters, and over 400,000 children are still in need of immediate psychosocial support.
Since the beginning of the cease-fire, World Vision JWG has been providing emergency relief to approximately 90,000 people:
· Over 10,000 children were provided with psychosocial support through 40 Child Friendly Spaces, in addition to over 13,000 households who were reached through the Psychological First Aid interventions
· 9,000 food parcels have been distributed, providing food essentials to thousands displaced families
· Over 12,000 hygiene kits and about 2,000 educational kits for children have been distributed
· A total of 2,900 winter clothes kits and over 7,400 blankets have been distributed to affected families during this winter season
(http://www.wvi.org/jerusalem)
Simon’s recruitment by the AICC is a major coup for Israel’s propaganda machine. This pariah state lists just above Pakistan and North Korea in the global popularity stakes and is desperate to whitewash its image. We call on Simon to cancel his trip and to roundly condemn apartheid Israel.