Israel’s program to deport activists will institutionalize old persecution

Posted on by Patrick Sudlow

Israel and its allies doing their best, to silence the truth!

O Mundo & A Resistência

{Versão reduzida, em português}

An inter-ministerial team was recently established by Israel’s Government to formulate a program to deport activists. The growing international solidarity with Palestinians is framed as a risk to Israel’s national security. Here’s my own experience and a glimpse of what we are facing.

By Moara Crivelente

Cases of deportation and bans are mounting and a campaign starts to develop against what is a repressive policy. Like mine – I was interrogated, detained, deported and banned from returning for 10 years – numerous other cases reveal an ever more aggressive practice.

Right after arriving at the International Airport Ben Gurion, on July 23rd, I went through what so many have already experienced in Israel’s lack of hospitality with whomever is suspect of having an opinion about the occupation of Palestine. I was repeatedly interrogated for hours and later informed of my deportation and ban…

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The moral reasons for the BDS of Israel

Posted on by Patrick Sudlow

Though this paper: BDS A Global Movement for Freedom and Justice, is 6 years old, it is still very pertinent today.  Especially as some Countries and Cities are trying to outlaw, something that is totally legitimate and is morally correct.

One of the recommendations of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, mentioned in this paper;

Applying public pressure to ostracize the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and deny it its current legal status in most western countries as a tax exempt, charitable organization;

Jewish members of the UK’s Green Party‘s on several occasions, tried to put forward a motion  to the party’s conference.  Calling on the Green Party, to call on the Charity Commission, to withdraw charitable status from the Jewish National Fund.  These motion were side-tracked and finally voted down, by a party claiming to stand for ‘equality and fairness’.

Another recommendation, which is extremely pertinent, in today’s environment;

Lobbying local councils and regional governments to strictly apply domestic and international laws which urge them to preclude from public contracts companies that are involved in “grave misconduct,” especially at the human rights level;

Labour controlled Manchester City Council, especially its leader, Richard Leese, have tried to stigmatise the BDS.  Trying to equate the BDS movement to anti-Semitism, despite the fact Palestinians are Semites.  Judaism is a religion, not a race!  And recently we have New York City producing a blacklist, of those they believe are boycotting the State of Israel.  Which is of course against the USA Constitution?

At the end of the day, those who are morally right, those who support Palestinians rights, will win in the end.

Why we should care more about the environmental impact of nutrients

Posted on by Patrick Sudlow

The Soil Association highlighted the issue of peak phosphorous and its threat to food security in their report: A rock and a hard place, in 2010 (which appears to be no longer available on-line?). And made several recommendations for the UK Government, it would like to implement.  In an article I posted in 2013, I highlighted the work Wessex Water was doing to recycle nutrients.  Using the waste from their bio-digester plant, which also produces electricity and bio-gas.  They also employ chemists to work with their customers, to ensure their land gets the right amount of nutrients.

Unfortunately, the Agra-chemical companies, who produce the fertilisers (mostly from fossil fuels) for industrialised farming industry.  Have the money and the lobbying might, to try and prevent, the large scale uptake of organic farming practices.  In fact, one of the issues being highlighted at the present time, is the pharmaceutical drug residue, that might be present in the recycled waste?  In September 2016, the European Commission’s Science for Environmental Policy, published a news alert.  It was titled: Applying sewage sludge to soil may spread antibiotic resistance.  It has been widely acknowledge, that their has been an abuse of the use of antibiotics in humans and animals.  From which the chemical companies also benefit from, as well as their trade in fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

Inside track

crop-spraying_chafer-machinery_flickrBack in 2007, Green Alliance examined the challenges and opportunities for the more sustainable use of nutrients, chiefly nitrogen and phosphorus, in the UK. It recommended a suite of policy principles to make a more circular system a reality.

Little has happened since in the UK. But last month I was asked to present Green Alliance’s policy principles to a conference of Nordic countries in Malmo, and to discuss how to take the agenda forward. I discovered that the ideas remain relevant and useful. 

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