European solidarity organizations mobilize against Agrexco

Submitted by maureen on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 13:06

A coalition of European solidarity organizations issued a declaration today calling for a day of action against the Israeli produce company Agrexco on 26 November and affirming their “determination to put an end to Agrexco’s presence in Europe.”

The statement comes out of the first ever European Forum Against Agrexco, which The Electronic Intifada reported on last month:

From 4-5 June, delegates from Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Palestine joined the French organizers for two full days of workshops aimed at strengthening the boycott campaign against the Israeli agricultural export giant.

Agrexco is Israel’s largest fresh produce exporter and European markets account for the vast majority of their sales under the brand Carmel. The Israeli government’s 50 percent stake in the company as well as their marketing of 60-70 percent of the fruit and vegetables grown in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have made Agrexco a prime strategic target for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign.

The coalition’s full statement follows:

Political declaration after the Forum against Agrexco

July 2011

We, Palestinian and Europeans together, affirm our determination to put an end to Agrexco’s presence in Europe. Our actions are taking place within the framework of the Palestinian-led global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

We have established a European wide coalition of organisations committed to coordinating our boycott campaigns and court actions against Agrexco. Secondly, we are calling for a European day of action against Agrexco on Saturday 26 November 2011.

We aim to build the widest possible alliance of individuals and organisations across Europe concerned with international law and refusing to be complicit in the violations of the rights of the Palestinian people perpetrated by Agrexco.

Agrexco is dedicated to exporting agricultural products. Sold under brand names such as Carmel, Coral, Biotop, Eco-Fresh, etc. these products embody Palestinian suffering: grown on stolen land with stolen water, produced through the exploitation of Palestinian labour - including child labour - they are part and parcel of a policy of colonisation, dispossession and apartheid carried out by Israel in Palestine. Agro-industrial corporation turned towards exportation, Agrexco is developing an industrial agriculture which harms the environment and destroys peasant agriculture in Palestine as well as in Europe.

It is therefore a key actor of Israeli oppression and a strategic target for theBDS movement.

We recognize that national and multinational businesses as well as European institutions and governments have failed to act. They trade with Agrexco or legitimize its trade without regard for the rights of the Palestinian people, therefore becoming complicit in war crimes.

We, citizens of all European countries, are committed to end this unacceptable situation through information, advocacy, non-violent direct action, legal action, and popular campaigning.

The following organisations have joined the campaign against Agrexco. To sign the political declaration send an email to: christophe[dot]perrin[at]lacimade[dot]org (organisations only)

Coalition contre Agrexco (France)

BDS France (France)

Netherlands Palestine Committee (Netherlands)

U4P Utrecht for Palestine (Netherlands)

BPP Breed Platform Palestina Haarlem (Netherlands)

BDS Group Berlin (Germany)

International League of Human Rights (Germany)

Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East (Germany)

Stop Agrexco (Italy)

Palestinagrupperna i Sverige (Sweden)

Palestinakomiteen (Norway)

Collectif Urgence Palestine Vaud (Switzerland)

BDS Switzerland (Switzerland)

Comite de Solidariedade com a Palestina (Portugal)

Association Belgo-palestinienne (ABP) (Belgium)

Haags Vredesplatform (HVP) (Netherlands

http://electronicintifada.net/blog/maureen/european-solidarity-organizations-mobilize-against-agrexco

Maureen Clare Murphy is the managing editor of The Electronic Intifada and an activist based in Chicago.