#DestinationApartheid
How are Booking.com complicit?
Booking.com advertises accommodations within illegal Israeli settlements, in the occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. They are doing so despite knowing that Israel’s settlements are illegal under international law, and a war crime.
This online travel agency also promotes activities ranging from religious to historic guides, offered by Israeli settlers, within occupied Palestinian territory.
According to Amnesty International, Booking.com has at least 45 hotel and rental contracts within illegal Israeli settlements.
Israeli settlements are built on stolen Palestinian land and is considered illegal under international law. It is developed specifically to accommodate the Jewish citizens of Israel. To establish these settlements, Israel forcefully expels the Palestinians from their homes. This expulsion is regarded by the United Nations as a war crime. Israeli settlements are known to have a detrimental impact on the human rights of the Palestinians.
Booking.com directly contributes to the economy of settlements, therefore supporting its maintenance and further expansion.
By promoting Israeli settlements as a holiday destination, Booking.com is normalising and legitimising the illegal settlements which are in clear violation of international law. By staying at Israeli settlements, people are holidaying in occupation.
Image shows an increase of settlement listings on booking.com
What can you do?
Write to Booking.com now (using action tab above) calling to:
- Cease any current listing of properties, activities and attractions offered by illegal Israeli settlements within the occupied Palestinian territories and provide a clear public explanation as to the reason behind this action.
- Adopt a robust policy, which should be publicly available, committing not to list or in any other way promote properties, activities or attractions offered by illegal Israeli settlements.
#CheckTheLabel Produce
Many of us aren’t aware of the level of trade between Israel and the UK. Last year a total of £4.8billion worth of goods and services were traded between the two countries. Exports from the UK amounted to £2.8 billion, these profits are going towards an apartheid state. Imports into the UK amounted to £2.1 billion. The imported produce ends up in our shops, some of which come from illegal Israeli settlements.
Israeli settlements are extremely harmful for the Palestinian people. For an Israeli settlement to be built Palestinian people are forcibly removed from their homes, their homes are demolished and they are then denied access to their own land.
As a part of the process of colonisation of Palestine, Israel takes over Palestinian land, sets up companies on that stolen land and they then employ some Palestinians who have no option but to work there since Israel has taken away the opportunity for them to work for themselves. Palestinians would rather have their land back and than have called for a boycott of Israeli goods.
So, what can you do about this?
1) Something we can adopt in our daily lives is to be more aware of what we are buying. When shopping, it is important to #CheckTheLabel on produce. Avoiding those labelled ‘Produce of Israel’, ‘West Bank’ and the ‘Jordan Valley’ as they are most likely grown in illegal Israeli settlements, on land stolen from Palestinians.
2) Email your MP to call on the Foreign Secretary to ban goods from Israeli settlements. .
The UK government repeatedly condemn Israeli violations and settlements, but continue to trade with them. Although there has been a decrease of £230 million in trade from 2019, it is far from over and we need to continue to keep up the pressure on our government. Trade is a huge aspect in sustaining these illegal Israeli settlements.
You can email your MP above.
Palestine In Parliament – 11th May 2022
National Lobby Day for Palestine
PLEASE NOTE: If you have a meeting set with your MP, please download the briefing pack: Click here
On Wednesday 11th May, we are encouraging individuals from across the UK to meet with their MPs and make a difference for Palestine. You don’t need to have experience in this or be an expert on Palestine, you just need to care. You’ll be supported by us throughout the process.
In the meeting with your MP, we ask that you raise four key issues:
- The siege of Gaza
- The role of British-made weapons in Israeli war crimes
- Britain’s imports of goods from illegal settlements
- The proposed criminalisation of the BDS movement in Britain
By raising these issues, you can make a difference for Palestine. Other supporters from your constituency may also be at the meeting.
On Tuesday 10th May at 6pm, we will host an online briefing where expert speakers will introduce these four key issues and answer any questions you might have.
We will be on hand to support you throughout the process. We will provide you with a short and simple briefing pack and information to give to your MP. We’ll also be on hand to answer any questions you have.
How it works
Arranging the meeting:
- Contact your MP to request a meeting using the option above
- When your MP replies with a time to meet, let us know
Before the meeting:
- We will send you a short and simple briefing pack to read through, which you can use when speaking to your MP
- On <> at <>pm, we will host an online briefing with all the information you need. You can also ask us any questions
- If you have questions at any point, you can email parliament@foa.org.uk to arrange a meeting with us
In the meeting, we encourage you to raise the following four key issues:
Crisis in Gaza- #EndTheSiege
Gaza has been under siege by Israel for 15 years, meaning nothing can go in or out apart from a very limited amount of aid and a few people. Food, water, medicine and fuel are all scarce in Gaza, and it has been described as the world’s largest open-air prison.
What can your MP do?
They can sign this open letter to the Foreign Secretary calling for an end to Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza.
British arms in Israeli war crimes – #StopArmingIsrael
Since 2014, Britain has exported nearly £500m of equipment and military hardware to Israel. This makes Britain complicit in Israeli war crimes. In May 2021, Israel targeted residential buildings in Gaza and killed over 100 Palestinian civilians. This breaks the international laws of war and amounts to war crimes.
What can your MP do?
They can support Early Day Motion 300, Israel Arms Trade (Prohibition) Bill.
Settlements on stolen Palestinian land – #StopSettlements
Today there are more than 500,000 Israeli settlers living on stolen Palestinian land. This violates international law, but many businesses continue to operate from these settlements and export their goods to the UK.
What can your MP do?
They can sign this statement to ban all illegal Israeli settlement goods to the UK.
Protect BDS – #ProtectBDS
BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) is a peaceful movement calling on Israel to comply with international law. It was successfully used to end apartheid in South Africa but it is under threat in the UK. BDS must be allowed to continue to stand up for basic human rights in Palestine.
#StolenChildhood
There are 2.3 million Palestinian children living under occupation.
They are targeted, killed and their human rights are violated by Israel.
In 2021, 86 Palestinian children were killed in illegally occupied Palestine, making this the deadliest year for Palestinian children since 2014. Using lethal force against children is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is illegal under international law, but the international community fails to hold Israel accountable.
The most recent victim was Shawkat Kamal Shawkat Abed who was shot by Israeli Occupation Forces and succumbed to his wounds on 15th April 2022.
Every day, Palestinian children’s rights are violated. In 2020, Save the Children spoke to Palestinian children about their experiences in Israeli prisons. 81% had been physically beaten and 52% had been threatened with harm to their families. Often Palestinian children are forced to sign false confessions without a lawyer present.
At this moment there are over 200 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. 27 of them are in solitary confinement.
Outside prison, Palestinian children face terrifying night raids on their homes and regular violent attacks from Jewish settlers. Their access to education is also hugely reduced by the occupation.
Israel must be held accountable and Palestinian children must be protected. Write to your MP to urge the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa to unreservedly condemn Israel’s targeting, killing and human rights abuses of Palestinian children.
#SupportPalestine
For the last 23 years, FOA has been at the forefront of the pro-Palestinian movement in the UK. As a grassroots organisation we have over 12 branches across the UK, each led by passionate and enthusiastic volunteers.
We have organised hundreds of events to raise awareness and provide a crucial avenue for the community to become active.
Our campaigns and literature are researched and referenced to provide a reliable platform for people to use.
Over the last 20 years, we have successfully run effective campaigns, which has changed the discourse on Palestine in the UK.
FOA is one of the organisations which hosted the mass demonstrations in response to Israel’s atrocities. The demonstrations have brought together over hundreds and thousands of protesters to oppose Israeli war crimes.
In July 2017 FOA hosted the first PalestineExpo at the prestigious central London location, Queen Elizabeth II Centre. The second event took place in July 2019 at Olympia London. Both events attracted over 25,000 attendees and is the Biggest Palestine event in Europe.
In July 2020 FOA hosted an online version, PalestineExpo Online, which saw 350,000 people tune in from around the world.
The occupation of Palestine has been going on for decades. The occupation continues to get worse. With your support we will keep Palestine at the forefront of people’s mind and we will continue to campaign until there is justice for the Palestinian people.
By becoming a member, you are giving FOA the much-needed help to put an end to this illegal occupation.
#BoycottPuma
Puma is the main sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which has several football teams in illegal Israeli settlements. Just as the Football Association (FA) is the governing body for football in England, the IFA is the governing body for football in Israel.
Six teams that belong to IFA are located in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Settlements are built up Israeli communities on stolen Palestinian land. Pre-existing Palestinian communities are forcibly removed from their homes and deprived of access to their land.
The United Nations and several Human Rights groups have deemed Israeli settlements as illegal and a violation of international law.
By sponsoring the IFA, PUMA is supporting illegal Israeli settlements which violate Palestinian rights and international law.
More than 200 Palestinian sports clubs have called on PUMA to stop supporting the IFA & violating international law. In 2018, Adidas announced it would no longer sponsor the IFA after receiving 16,000 signatures.
Let’s do this again and stop PUMA from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine!
This image shows Israel’s Home, Away and Goalkeeper football kits (with PUMA as their sponsor).
#NotInMyFridge
Central Bottling Company (CBC) is an Israeli manufacturer and distributor of soft drinks, dairy products and alcoholic beverages.
Coca-Cola profits from the occupation by working with CBC which sells its drinks in Israel. CBC has a Coca-Cola factory in Atarot illegal Israeli settlement. Israeli settlements are built on land stolen from Palestinians and are illegal under international law as they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bans an occupying power from transferring its population to the area it occupies.
Currently, there are between 600,000 and 750,000 Israeli settlers living in at least 250 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
By having it’s Israeli franchise in an illegal settlement, Coca-Cola ignores international law and profits from the illegal occupation.
FOA is calling for Coca-Cola to cut ties with CBC.
Buying from companies which work in settlements such as Coca Cola means we as consumers are turning a blind eye to the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
Here are questions we posed in 2014 when a Coca-Cola factory was opened in Gaza. These questions are completely relevant today.
Some questions to ask Coca-Cola:
1. Where are these construction materials being purchased? We believe it’s Israel so isn’t Coca-Cola simply supporting the Israeli economy to a far greater tune than the Palestinian economy?
– Raw materials such as sugar will be purchased from Israel, thereby enriching the Israeli economy.
2. How much water is required to run the bottling plant and where will water come from?
– Palestinians in Gaza face a chronic shortage of freshwater, and rely on desalination plants. Reports from around the world show that communities living around Coca-Cola bottling plants are adversely affected by water shortages due to Coke’s demands on the water infrastructure.
– The World Bank has reported on the dire state of the water and sewage infrastructure in Gaza following Israel’s various attacks. Access to water is limited on average to 6-8 hours for 1-4 days a week for the population of Gaza.
In light of these statistics, how does Coca-Cola plan to operate its factory? And will the factory divert vital resources from Palestinian families, while drawing a profit from its products?
3. Where will the factory’ electricity supply come from?
-The only power plant in Gaza is only able to supply 30% of the population intermittently, leaving 1.2million Palestinians in darkness. Hospitals continue to run on emergency generators.
4. Will Coke be given preferential access to water and electricity, which will disadvantage Palestinian civilians and hospitals?
-The indications are that it will, and this is indicated by the passage of materials into Gaza to build the factory, while essential building materials for hospitals are barred.
5. As predicted Israel has now bombed the factory during the May 2021 bombardment on Gaza.
What guarantees has Israel provided that it won’t bomb the Coca Cola factory? Israel has a track record of destroying businesses in Gaza. Before the blockade in 2006, 3,600 factories operated in Gaza. Now, there are less than a hundred.
– Israel bombed a biscuit factory in Gaza which employed 450 people, leaving them unemployed. Can Coca Cola guarantee that its 400 workers won’t be left in a similar position?
6. Coke’s investments in the West Bank and Gaza are dwarfed by its economic activity in Israel. At present, Coca Cola is profiting from the occupation by abiding by Israel’s occupation regime.
‘If Coca-Cola is serious about investing in the Palestinian economy, it will call for a lifting of the siege on Gaza so that its operation there can really flourish and provide Palestinians with more than jobs, but with future economic prospects – as it is doing for Israel.’ said Shamiul Joarder, Head of Public Affairs at FOA.
A related article worth reading: Click here
#StopArmingIsrael
We are calling on the British government to stop funding Israeli war crimes by cancelling its arms export licenses to Israel. UK-made weapons are currently used to oppress Palestinians by using excessive and violent force, making their daily lives unbearable.
#PowerOffHP
HP supplies software and hardware to Israel, which is used at military checkpoints, watchtowers, outposts, fortified gates and the apartheid wall. The technology provided by HP makes it possible for the occupying forces to monitor and control the Palestinian people.
HP’s Basel System is the software that is installed within the biometric sensors that are in place throughout Israeli checkpoints. Palestinians are required to pass through these biometric sensors, powered by HP, whenever they wish to travel within the West Bank.
These biometric sensors, supported by HP technology, allow occupying Israeli forces to police, track and trace the movement of Palestinians.
HP also provides Itanium servers for Israel’s Aviv System. This technology allows Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority to monitor, classify and segregate the population within occupied Palestine through the Yesha database. This compiles information on Israeli citizens within illegal settlements, allowing the apartheid Israeli state to effectively promote its two-tiered system of laws which prioritise the Jewish population over the Palestinians.
Furthermore, HP exclusively provides desktops to all branches of the Israeli military. By providing the Israeli army with the equipment to monitor the imprisonment of over two million Gazans, HP is an active accomplice in Israel’s illegal military blockade of Gaza.
In addition, HP also maintains and profits from the IT infrastructure of Israel’s prison system, which currently holds more than 4,500 political prisoners, including at least 150 children.
By providing the occupation forces with the technology that is used to monitor and regulate the movement of Palestinians, HP is supporting Israel’s brutal colonisation of Palestine.
A huge thanks to Unite the Union, the 1.2m members strong union, who are part of the campaign to oppose Hewlett Packard’s (HP) complicity in the occupation of Palestine. The union passed a resolution to stop any purchase of HP products until HP end their involvement in Palestinian human rights violations.
#HandsOffAlAqsa
Al-Aqsa mosque is a sacred sanctuary in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is the holiest site in Jerusalem for Muslims and an important symbol of Palestinian culture.
Al-Aqsa is in East Jerusalem, which has been under illegal occupation by Israel since 1967 according to international law. Every day under Israeli occupation, the threat to Al-Aqsa increases.
Some Israeli groups wish to build a Jewish temple in the place of Al-Aqsa. The Israeli government frequently allows these groups to visit Al-Aqsa, accompanied by Israeli Occupation Forces. These provocative visits are known as incursions.
Over the last few years, the number of incursions at Al-Aqsa and attacks on Palestinian worshippers have rapidly increased.
In April 2022 for example, during the middle of Ramadan, Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa mosque were attacked 7 times in the space of 10 days. Over 250 worshippers were injured, including women, children and the elderly. Over 700 illegal Israeli settlers were allowed to roam the holy site freely and protected. The glass of Al-Aqsa’s pulpit and the historic windows of Musallah Al-Qibly were smashed by Israeli bullets.
Most recently, the leader of an Israeli group has called for the destruction of Al-Aqsa.
The #HandsOffAlAqsa campaign is dedicated to protecting this sacred site:
- We encourage you to use the email tool above to write to your MP, calling on them to publicly condemn the ongoing incursions and attacks on Al-Aqsa and to demand immediate sanctions on Israel
- Get involved in Aqsa Week. This is a global initiative to promote the love of Masjid Al-Aqsa. It is an incredible week for people around the world to create conversation and raise awareness on the centrality of Masjid Al-Aqsa as well as the plight of the Palestinian people. The week includes workshops, talks, activities and shareable content for adults and children held by different countries and organisations, all under the banner of #LoveAqsa. Aqsa Week 2022 was the biggest yet, with events taking place at over 200 mosques across the UK and 50 countries worldwide. Aqsa Week 2023 will be held between Monday 13th Feb – Sunday 19th Feb 2023.
Read about Aqsa Week 2022 in Arab News, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, Palestine Chronicle, Islam21C and Salaam Media.
- For resources on the virtues and significance of Al-Aqsa mosque in Islam, please visit the Aqsa Resources page.
Read about #TeamFOA’s recent #HandsOffAlAqsa protest outside the Israeli Embassy in London in Days of Palestine.
#CheckTheLabel
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection and to get closer to God. The end of each day of fasting is marked by having iftar, the meal to end the day’s fast. Iftar usually begins by eating a date.
Unfortunately, without realising, many Muslims break their fast with an Israeli date. Breaking the fast with an Israeli date does not fit with the values of justice and fairness that Muslims try to instil within themselves during Ramadan.
Please remember to #CheckTheLabel to make sure that you’re not breaking your fast with Israeli dates. Dates labelled as from the West Bank and Jordan Valley will have been grown in illegal Israeli settlements on land stolen from Palestinians. You will be buying into the occupation and apartheid of Palestine (and that doesn’t taste good!)
Illegal Israeli settlements are a key part of Israel’s illegal occupation. Palestinians are forcibly removed from their homes or their homes are demolished. The ongoing building of these settlements violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and has been widely criticised by the UN.
As a part of the process of colonisation of Palestine, Israel takes over Palestinian land, sets up companies on that stolen land and they then employ some Palestinians who have no option but to work there since Israel has taken away the opportunity for them to work for themselves. Palestinians would rather have their land back and than have called for a boycott of Israeli goods.
What can you do?
1) When shopping this Ramadan, #CheckTheLabel on the packaging for the ‘origin of’/’produce of’ is. If it’s from Israel, the West Bank or the Jordan Valley, choose another option. Also boycott dates from Israeli companies shown in the image below.
To confuse the customer, some Israeli brands have labelled themselves as ‘Produce of Palestine’. Our research, at present, can only verify genuine Palestinian brands: Yaffa, Zaytoun, Holy Land, Al’Ard
2) Email the Foreign Secretary urging the British government to ban trade with Israeli settlements.
The UK government repeatedly condemns Israeli settlements, but it still trades with them! The UK is Israel’s second largest market for dates – worth £28m in 2020. The average British person consumes over 20kg of dates in their lifetime – so make sure you’re not buying into occupation and apartheid.
You can email the foreign secretary above.
These simple actions are a powerful way to stand up for justice and against occupation and apartheid.
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