The international social media lobbying site AVAAZ has launched a campaign to ban Israeli athletes from participating in the Olympic Games in Paris which begin next Friday, July 26th. The petition calls for a ban as long as Israel keeps up its murderous bombing campaign in Gaza. Already over 630,000 people have signed. Avaaz hopes for a million. Read more.
Avaaz is trying to get a million signatories to its simple message addressed to the International Olympic Committee. The text of the short Avaaz letter to the IOC and its explanatory text follows.
To the International Olympic Committee:
“As citizens from across the world, we call on you to ban Israel from the Olympic Games until their government ceases its assault on innocent civilians in Gaza.”
More information:
Next month, the world will turn its eyes to the Olympics in Paris.
36,000 of those who could be watching with us from Gaza are dead. Children who once dreamed of competing have had their limbs torn from them.
And unless something changes, the Israeli government will still be bombing Gaza as athletes compete in its name: Israel has just announced its willingness to continue the war for seven more months.
As the world comes together for the Olympics, we have the chance to send a message that mass killing of civilians will not be tolerated by the global community. Pressure is building for a plan that would see Israeli athletes compete – just not under Israel’s flag.
The Olympic committee meets in days: let’s be one million voices demanding that Israel be banned until its government stops the assault on Palestinian lives and ends the apartheid.
CTIP Commentary
International sanctions against Israel, including barring participation in international organizations, is one of the actions proposed by the international BDS campaign against Israel, launched in 2005. That BDS call has 3 demands: 1 Ending the occupation 2 Equality for Palestinians living in Israel and 3 The right to return for all Palestinians (including those in Gaza). It calls for the international community to boycott Israeli products, divest from Israeli companies and sanction Israel from participation in international bodies.
In calling for a ban on Israel at the Olympics “until it stops the assault on Palestinian lives and ends apartheid“, the Avaaz petition is consistent with one part of the BDS program.
CTIP subscribers who want to add their names to the letter can do so by clicking on this dedicated Avaaz site.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca
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Great initiative by AVAAZ. Let’s hope Israel fails in any attempt to jeopardize this significant ban unless it meets the demands to end its genocide , stop bombing , respect Palestinian lives , end the occupation & return all lands it continues to steal from the rightful owners.
Thanks, signed it twice (Canada and US).EB
Regrettably, I do not think that this campaign puts enough pressure on the Israeli government; it won’t change either their mindset or their demonic policies. In fact, they will claim it is “proof of antisemitism” and use it to convince their citizens and supporters that they must keep on fighting to avoid another Holocaust. Paradoxically, it is their actions that are strengthening anti-Israel sentiment.
why not ban Palestine from the olympics as they are still holding hostages from this october massacre
Those holding the Israelis prisoner are themselves Israeli prisoners (imprisoned in Gaza). They are not going anywhere.
The ban should include the total occupation.
States have an obligation to ban Israel as an act to stop the genocide. This is clearly a minimal act but it would be hugely influential in sending a worldwide message of revulsion against Israel’s slaughter, torture and ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their own territories.
I think it is important not to tie any obligation to the fact that genocide is being committed. Doing so is falling into a trap.
States have an obligation to try to stop mass killing whether or not it is a genocide; if we tie it to genocide, Israel can distract people by denying that there is genocide. They cannot deny that there is mass killing going on.
Although the word “genocide” is relatively new and was given a fairly precise definition, people can, and do, argue about its meaning. The fact is that the moral obligation to stop the ongoing slaughter makes that definition unimportant.
Stop the war; stop the reoccupation of Gaza; stop the murder and stop arguing about the meaning of a word.