Logo
Site-Logo
Site Navigation

Gaza Freedom Marchers issue the “Cairo Declaration” to end Israeli Apartheid


3. January 2010

For immediate release, January 1, 2010 (Cairo) Gaza Freedom Marchers approved today a declaration aimed at accelerating the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli Apartheid.

Roughly 1400 activists from 43 countries converged in Cairo on their way to Gaza to join with Palestinians marching to break Israel’s illegal siege. They were prevented from entering Gaza by the Egyptian authorities.

 

As a result, the Freedom Marchers remained in Cairo. They staged a series of nonviolent actions aimed at pressuring the international community to end the siege as one step in the larger struggle to secure justice for Palestinians throughout historic Palestine.

 

This declaration arose from those actions:

 

 

End Israeli Apartheid

 

Cairo Declaration

 

January 1, 2010

 

 

We, international delegates meeting in Cairo during the Gaza Freedom March 2009 in collective response to an initiative from the South African delegation, state:

 

In view of:

 

o     Israel’s ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians through the illegal occupation and siege of Gaza;

 

o     the illegal occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the continued construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements;

 

o     the new Wall under construction by Egypt and the US which will tighten even further the siege of Gaza;

 

o     the contempt for Palestinian democracy shown by Israel, the US, Canada, the EU and others after the Palestinian elections of 2006;

 

o     the war crimes committed by Israel during the invasion of Gaza one year ago;

 

o     the continuing discrimination and repression faced by Palestinians within Israel;

 

o     and the continuing exile of millions of Palestinian refugees;

 

o     all of which oppressive acts are based ultimately on the Zionist ideology which underpins Israel;

 

o     in the knowledge that our own governments have given Israel direct economic, financial, military and diplomatic support and allowed it to behave with impunity;

 

o     and mindful of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2007)

 

We reaffirm our commitment to:

 

Palestinian Self-Determination

 

Ending the Occupation

 

Equal Rights for All within historic Palestine

 

The full Right of Return for Palestinian refugees

 

 

We therefore reaffirm our commitment to the United Palestinian call of July 2005 for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to compel Israel to comply with international law.

 

To that end, we call for and wish to help initiate a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to implement the Palestinian call for BDS.

 

Mindful of the many strong similarities between apartheid Israel and the former apartheid regime in South Africa, we propose:

 

1)     An international speaking tour in the first 6 months of 2010 by Palestinian and South African trade unionists and civil society activists, to be joined by trade unionists and activists committed to this programme within the countries toured, to take mass education on BDS directly to the trade union membership and wider public internationally;

 

2)     Participation in the Israeli Apartheid Week in March 2010;

 

3)     A systematic unified approach to the boycott of Israeli products, involving consumers, workers and their unions in the retail, warehousing, and transportation sectors;

 

4)     Developing the Academic, Cultural and Sports boycott;

 

5)     Campaigns to encourage divestment of trade union and other pension funds from companies directly implicated in the Occupation and/or the Israeli military industries;

 

6)     Legal actions targeting the external recruitment of soldiers to serve in the Israeli military, and the prosecution of Israeli government war criminals; coordination of Citizen’s Arrest Bureaux to identify, campaign and seek to prosecute Israeli war criminals; support for the Goldstone Report and the implementation of its recommendations;

 

7)     Campaigns against charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (JNF).

 

We appeal to organisations and individuals committed to this declaration to sign it and work with us to make it a reality.

 

Please e-mail us at cairodec@gmail.com

 

Signed by:

 

(* Affiliation for identification purposes only.)

 

1.         Hedy Epstein, Holocaust Survivor/ Women in Black*, USA

 

2.         Nomthandazo Sikiti, Nehawu, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Affiliate International Officer*, South Africa

 

3.         Zico Tamela, Satawu, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Affiliate International Officer*, South Africa

 

4.         Hlokoza Motau, Numsa, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Affiliate International Officer*, South Africa

 

5.         George Mahlangu, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Campaigns Coordinator*, South Africa

 

6.         Crystal Dicks, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Education Secretary*, South Africa

 

7.         Savera Kalideen, SA Palestinian Solidarity Committee*, South Africa

 

8.         Suzanne Hotz, SA Palestinian Solidarity Group*, South Africa

 

9.         Shehnaaz Wadee, SA Palestinian Solidarity Alliance*, South Africa

 

10.         Haroon Wadee, SA Palestinian Solidarity Alliance*, South Africa

 

11.         Sayeed Dhansey, South Africa

 

12.         Faiza Desai, SA Palestinian Solidarity Alliance*, South Africa

 

13.         Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada*, USA

 

14.         Hilary Minch, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Committee*, Ireland

 

15.         Anthony Loewenstein, Australia

 

16.         Sam Perlo-Freeman, United Kingdom

 

17.         Julie Moentk, Pax Christi*, USA

 

18.         Ulf Fogelström, Sweden

 

19.         Ann Polivka, Chico Peace and Justice Center*, USA

 

20.         Mark Johnson, Fellowship of Reconciliation*, USA

 

21.         Elfi Padovan, Munich Peace Committee*/Die Linke*, Germany

 

22.         Elizabeth Barger, Peace Roots Alliance*/Plenty I*, USA

 

23.         Sarah Roche-Mahdi, CodePink*, USA

 

24.         Svetlana Gesheva-Anar, Bulgaria

 

25.         Cristina Ruiz Cortina, Al Quds-Malaga*, Spain

 

26.         Rachel Wyon, Boston Gaza Freedom March*, USA

 

27.         Mary Hughes-Thompson, Women in Black*, USA

 

28.         David Letwin, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)*, USA

 

29.         Jean Athey, Peace Action Montgomery*, USA

 

30.         Gael Murphy, Gaza Freedom March*/CodePink*, USA

 

31.         Thomas McAfee, Journalist/PC*, USA

 

32.         Jean Louis Faure, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)*, France

 

33.         Timothy A King, Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East*, USA

 

34.         Gail Chalbi, Palestine/Israel Justice Project of the Minnesota United Methodist Church*, USA

 

35.         Ouahib Chalbi, Palestine/Israel Justice Project of the Minnesota United Methodist Church*, USA

 

36.         Greg Dropkin, Liverpool Friends of Palestine*, England

 

37.         Felice Gelman, Wespac Peace and Justice New York*/Gaza Freedom March*, USA

 

38.         Ron Witton, Australian Academic Union*, Australia

 

39.         Hayley Wallace, Palestine Solidarity Committee*, USA

 

40.         Norma Turner, Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign*, England

 

41.         Paula Abrams-Hourani, Women in Black (Vienna)*/ Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East*, Austria

 

42.         Mateo Bernal, Industrial Workers of the World*, USA

 

43.         Mary Mattieu, Collectif Urgence Palestine*, Switzerland

 

44.         Agneta Zuppinger, Collectif Urgence Palestine*, Switzerland

 

45.         Ashley Annis, People for Peace*, Canada

 

46.         Peige Desgarlois, People for Peace*, Canada

 

47.         Hannah Carter, Canadian Friends of Sabeel*, Canada

 

48.         Laura Ashfield, Canadian Friends of Sabeel*, Canada

 

49.         Iman Ghazal, People for Peace*, Canada

 

50.         Filsam Farah, People for Peace*, Canada

 

51.         Awa Allin, People for Peace*, Canada

 

52.         Cleopatra McGovern, USA

 

53.         Miranda Collet, Spain

 

54.         Alison Phillips, Scotland

 

55.         Nicholas Abramson, Middle East Crisis Response Network*/Jews Say No*, USA

 

56.         Tarak Kauff, Middle East Crisis ResponseNetwork*/Veterans for Peace*, USA

 

57.         Jesse Meisler-Abramson, USA

 

58.         Hope Mariposa, USA

 

59.         Ivesa Lübben. Bremer Netzwerk fur Gerechten Frieden in Nahost*, Germany

 

60.         Sheila Finan, Mid-Hudson Council MERC*, USA

 

61.         Joanne Lingle, Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (CPJME)*, USA

 

62.         Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children’s Alliance*, USA

 

63.         Josie Shields-Stromsness, Middle East Children’s Alliance*, USA

 

64.         Anna Keuchen, Germany

 

65.         Judith Mahoney Pasternak, WRL* and Indypendent*, USA

 

66.         Ellen Davidson, New York City Indymedia*, WRL*, Indypendent*, USA

 

67.         Ina Kelleher, USA

 

68.         Lee Gargagliano, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (Chicago)*, USA

 

69.         Brad Taylor, OUT-FM*, USA

 

70.         Helga Mankovitz, SPHR (Queen’s University)*, Canada

 

71.         Mick Napier, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign*, Scotland

 

72.         Agnes Kueng, Paso Basel*, Switzerland

 

73.         Anne Paxton, Voices of Palestine*, USA

 

74.         Leila El Abtah, The Netherlands

 

75.         Richard, Van der Wouden, The Netherlands

 

76.         Rafiq A. Firis, P.K.R.*/Isra*, The Netherlands

 

77.         Sandra Tamari, USA

 

78.         Alice Azzouzi, Way to Jerusalem*, USA

 

79.         J’Ann Schoonmaker Allen, USA

 

80.         Ruth F. Hooke, Episcopalian Peace Fellowship*, USA

 

81.         Jean E. Lee, Holy Land Awareness Action Task Group of United Church of Canada*, Canada

 

82.         Delphine de Boutray, Association Thèâtre Cine*, France

 

83.         Sylvia Schwarz, USA

 

84.         Alexandra Safi, Germany

 

85.         Abdullah Anar, Green Party – Turkey*, Turkey

 

86.         Ted Auerbach, USA

 

87.         Martha Hennessy, Catholic Worker*, USA

 

88.         Louis Ultale, Interfaile Pace e Bene*, USA

 

89.         Leila Zand, Fellowship of Reconciliation*, USA

 

90.         Emma Grigore, CodePink*, USA

 

91.         Sammer Abdelela, New York Community of Muslim Progressives*, USA

 

92.         Sharat G. Lin, San Jose Peace and Justice Center*, USA

 

93.         Katherine E. Sheetz, Free Gaza*, USA

 

94.         Steve Greaves, Free Gaza*, USA

 

95.         Trevor Baumgartner, Free Gaza*, USA

 

96.         Hanan Tabbara, USA

 

97.         Marina Barakatt, CodePink*, USA

 

98.         Keren Bariyov, USA

 

99.         Ursula Sagmeister, Women in Black – Vienna*, Austria

 

100.         Ann Cunningham, Australia

 

101.         Bill Perry, Delaware Valley Veterans for Peace*, USA

 

102.         Terry Perry, Delaware Valley Veterans for Peace*, USA

 

103.         Athena Viscusi, USA

 

104.         Marco Viscusi, USA

 

105.         Paki Wieland, Northampton Committee*, USA

 

106.         Manijeh Saba, New York / New Jersey, USA

 

107.         Ellen Graves, USA

 

108.         Zoë Lawlor, Ireland – Palestine Solidarity Campaign*, Ireland

 

109.         Miguel García Grassot, Al Quds – Málaga*, Spain

 

110.         Ana Mamora Romero, ASPA-Asociacion Andaluza Solidaridad y Paz*, Spain

 

111.         Ehab Lotayef, CJPP Canada*, Canada

 

112.         David Heap, London Anti-War*, Canada

 

113.         Adie Mormech, Free Gaza* / Action Palestine*, England

 

114.         Aimee Shalan, UK

 

115.         Liliane Cordova, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)*, Spain

 

116.         Priscilla Lynch, USA

 

117.         Jenna Bitar, USA

 

118.         Deborah Mardon, USA

 

119.         Becky Thompson, USA

 

120.         Diane Hereford, USA

 

121.         David Heap, People for Peace London*, Canada

 

122.         Donah Abdulla, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights*, Canada

 

123.         Wendy Goldsmith, People for Peace London*, Canada

 

124.         Abdu Mihirig, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights-UBC*, Canada

 

125.         Saldibastami, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights-UBC*, Canada

 

126.         Abdenahmane Bouaffad, CMF*, France

 

127.         Feroze Mithiborwala, Awami Bharat*, India

 

128.         John Dear, Pax Christi*, USA

 

129.         Ziyaad Lunat, Portugal

 

130.         Michael Letwin, New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW)

 

131.          Labor For Palestine