letter from The Yes Men in support of the international campaign to boycott Israel

Dear Friends at the Jerusalem Film Festival,

We regret to say that we have taken the hard decision to withdraw our film, “The Yes Men Fix the World,” from the Jerusalem Film Festival in solidarity with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (www.bdsmovement.net).

This decision does not come easily, as we realize that the festival opposes the policies of the State of Israel, and we have no wish to punish progressives who deplore the state-sponsored violence committed in their name.

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Report from Bil’in Palestine.

Photo: ActiveStills. Israeli military launches chemical gas in Bil’in, Palestine.

Three injured and Dozens suffered from gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest in Bil’in village near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday.

International and Israeli supporters joined the villagers of Bil’in and marched from the village center after the Friday midday prayers. The protesters demanded the halt of the Israeli illegal settlements and the construction of the wall.

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video report on Israeli Apartheid on Trial event on Bil’in Palestine by Boban Chaldovich.

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Presentation in Montreal from Mohamed Khatib of Bil’in.

A video report by filmmaker Boban Chaldovich on the Montreal conference on Bil’in’s strugle against Israeli colonization. Watch the video on Bil’in Palestine: view on-line.

Bil’in village has launched a historic lawsuit in Quebec against two locally registered companies, Quebec Superior Court against Green Park International and Green Mount International, which are accused of illegally constructing residential and other buildings on the village’s lands. According to the lawsuit, the lands of Bil’in are subject to the rules and obligations of international law because the West Bank is currently under Israeli military occupation.

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Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) contre l’l’apartheid israélien.

Photo: Manifestation contre le siège israélien de Gaza au carrefour d’Erez, Palestine.

La Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) une fédération syndicale au Québec a voté pour l’appui de la campagne internationale de boycott, désinvestissement et sanctions contre l’apartheid israélien, poussant ainsi le mouvement de solidarité du Québec avec la Palestine.

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photo essay by Antoine Rouleau

Photo: Antoine Rouleau. Colors of Palestine at Bil’in solidarity protest in Montreal.

A photo essay by photographer Antoine Rouleau capturing the Bil’in solidarity protest outside the Palais de justice de Montréal to coincide with the opening the lawsuit launched by Bil’in village at the Quebec Superior Court against two Montreal registered companies constructing Israeli colonies on Bil’in lands. A decision on the jurisdiction of the Quebec courts to hear Bil’in’s case is expected within the upcoming months, stay tuned for updates and other Palestinian solidarity actions.

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Bil’in continue sa lutte contre les colonies israéliennes à la cour du Québec

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Mohamed Khatib de Bil’in, Palestine.

La poursuite judiciaire du village de Bil’in contre deux compagnies basées au Québec impliquées dans la construction de colonies israéliennes sur des territoires palestiniens continue.

Après une semaine d’audiences à la Cour supérieure du Québec, la poursuite de Bil’in est maintenant en train d’être examinée par l’honorable juge Louis-Paul Cullen. Une réponse de celui-ci est prévue dans les mois à venir.

“Le cas de Bil’in a été pleinement argumenté, l’illégalité des colonies israéliennes selon le droit international et canadien a été clairement exposée,” souligne Mark Arnold l’avocat canadien du village de Bil’in.

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Agence France-Presse (AFP), June 26th, 2009.

Photo: Author Naomi Klein

Bil’in, West Bank — Bestselling author Naomi Klein on Friday took her call for a boycott of Israel to the occupied West Bank village of Bilin, where she witnessed Israeli forces clashing with protesters.

“It’s a boycott of Israeli institutions, it’s a boycott of the Israeli economy,” the Canadian writer told journalists as she joined a weekly demonstration against Israel’s controversial separation wall.

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Montreal Gazette, June 25, 2009, by Sue Montgomery.

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Palestinian Mohamed Khatib at the Quebec Superior Court.

MONTREAL — Two Canadian companies that are building condominiums for Israeli settlers in the West Bank are committing a war crime, a lawyer representing a tiny Palestinian farming village that is trying to sue the firms by using Canada’s War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Act argued Thursday.

After three days of hearings in Quebec Superior Court on motions filed by lawyers of Green Park International Inc. and Green Mount International Inc. to have the suit thrown out, lawyer Mark Arnold argued the case should go to trial.

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Photo essay by Valerian Mazataud.

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Bil’in vs. Israeli apartheid at Concordia University.

Bil’in village has been a focus for the Palestinian solidarity movement in Canada during the past month, as Mohamed Khatib from Bil’in’s Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements and Emily Schaeffer, an Israeli lawyer representing the village of Bil’in, have recently toured across Canada.

In Montreal hundreds have gathered in solidarity with Bil’in this past week, for a major lecture at Concordia University, the last stop on the cross-Canada tour and for a solidarity demonstration with Bil’in outside the Quebec Superior Court, both events are documented in this photo essay.

Bil’in’s historic lawsuit against Green Park International and Green Mount International, two companies registered in Quebec, began this week at the Quebec Superior Court. Bil’in’s lawsuit is rooted in the fact that the two companies are constructing illegal Israeli colonies on Bil’in’s lands in the West Bank.

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Appel à votre solidarité à la cour pour le procès historique lancé par Bil’in.

JUIN 2009: Montréal, Québec
Mardi, le 23 juin, 9h30 – 16h00
Jeudi, le 25 juin, 9h30 – 16h00
Cour supérieure du Québec
Salle 16.08
1 Notre-Dame Est
métro Place-d’Armes/Champs-de-Mars

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