Dear
CODEPINKer,
On
Monday morning, just days after we marched for peace with thousands
in DC, CODEPINK issued a fake
press release from The American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) calling for the freeze of Israeli settlements
in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many
media outlets bought it including CSPAN, which showcased
this “breaking news” during Hillary's Clinton's
speech to AIPAC. Most commentators noted
that our fake release forced AIPAC to say it was not against settlements,
thus putting AIPAC at odds with the White House and the State Department.
Later that night, CODEPINK
activists interrupted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during
his keynote speech at the AIPAC gala dinner. Rae courageously stood
on a table a few feet away from the podium to unfurl a banner that
read: “Netanyahu: Build Peace Not Settlements.” (Read
Rae's account here).
While most of Congress still bows in fear before AIPAC, CODEPINK
stands up for a peaceful and just future for both Palestinians and
Israelis. We can't wait for our government to lead the way;
we need to join the Palestinians, Israelis and international activists
around the world who are using Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
(BDS) to pressure Israel to respect human rights and international
law. On March 30, 2010, activists around the world will mark Land
Day with coordinated BDS actions. There will be Stolen
Beauty (www.stolenbeauty.org)
AHAVA boycott actions in NYC, D.C., Chicago, Montreal, Austin, Seattle,
San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This past week we moved forward
with our boycott in NYC when the president of Ricky's NYC,
a family-owned cosmetics & sundries chain, called in response
to the 2,000 e-mails our supporters sent him for Valentine's
Day. Our latest Stolen Beauty target is Nordstrom, a chain of department
stores that touts itself as a socially responsible business. Join
us in telling Nordstrom
to stop selling AHAVA products, which are made from stolen resources
in occupied Palestine.
Send
a letter to Nordstrom today to ask them to stop carrying Ahava,
a product that is far from being socially responsible.
The global day of action comes at a time when pro-Israel lobby groups
such AIPAC and the Israeli government have vowed
to sabotage the growing successes of the BDS movement.
See
here calendar of events to find out about BDS actions
around the world. Want to organize an action of your own at a Nordstrom
or other store in your city that carries Ahava? Email
Rae with your action idea or info and she can send you
a list of stores in your area that carry AHAVA.
Onwards
for justice, Dana, Emily, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Janna, Jodie,
Medea, Nancy, Prerna, Rae and Whitney
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