Lord Phillips: Jews On Suicide Path

I see Jonathan has had a make over

quite a makeover too

Veolia has gone!!! Rejoice!!
Great news - protest does work!

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/amid-stiff-opposition-i...

Amid stiffening opposition, Israel occupation profiteer Veolia has withdrawn its bid for a major contract in London in the final stages of the process.

“The North London Waste Authority has received notification from Veolia Environmental Services that they will not be submitting final tenders for either NLWA’s waste services or fuel use contracts,” said a 21 December statement from the body responsible for waste management for seven local authorities in the UK capital.

The statement confirmed that “Veolia had been shortlisted for both contracts.”

The annoucement came after mounting opposition to the bid, spearheaded by the No to Veolia Action Group.

In November, Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, wrote to NLWA to urge them not to award the multi-billion pound contracts to Veolia “due to its deep and ongoing complicity with Israeli violations of international law.” He warned NLWA that “to provide access to public funds to Veolia may contravene the UK’s international legal obligation not to facilitate Israeli violations of international law.”

Veolia and its various subsidiaries are involved in a number of Israeli projects supporting illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories including the Jerusalem Light Rail and Tovlan landfill.

Falk’s intervention garnered significant local media attention which culminated in criticism of Hackney Council, one of authorities served by NLWA, for blocking a member of No to Veolia Action Group from addressing one of its meetings. Israel lobby groups later boasted publicly about their behind-the-scenes role in blocking the hearing.

Being effectively forced out of the London bid is the latest setback for the beleaguered multinational occupation profiteer, which has been denied contracts in several European cities in the wake of campaigns by Palestine solidarity activists.

In what may be a North American first, the city of St. Louis City, Missouri declined to approve a contract with Veolia pending an investigation into the company’s activities after a campaign by the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee. Local public radio reported that the decision was prompted by “concerns about the company’s human rights practices and financial condition.”

Right, back to topic (Just getting over the great news about Veolia pulling out of N London)

Former British ambassador to Israel, the Hebrew-speaking Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, made an eloquent speech a few weeks back from which it is important to quote at some length: "I believe passionately that Israel on its present course is embarked on a pathway to assisted suicide. Suicide assisted by the Congress of the United States. The idea that the problem can be solved by walling up the Palestinians in the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Bantustans, which the South African government embarked on in the 1940s, is not only offensive morally, it is deeply out of keeping with everything we know of human history. It will not work, it cannot work, it should not work. And anyone who has a real affection for the Jewish people will want to help them to avoid this looming disaster."

Hoffie citing himself as a source is the foremost highlight of this bog site.

Jonathan, Veolia refused to comment, and yet you are able to tell us the reason they pulled out of the bid. Are you privy to the inner secrets of the CEO's mind?

I don't think anyone has ever claimed that they are being boycotted by the NLWA. They pull out of a tender for a multi-billion pound contract at close to the last minute and refuse to comment. It seems perfectly clear that they decided, given the mounting campaign against them, that it just wasn't worth it. Much like John Lewis decided that selling Ahava products wasn't worth the prospect of having their car parks blockaded.

Not a comment about the right and wrongs of all this, more a comment about what the people that are willing to see, will see.

A present for Hoffman.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRKSI0WSApk&feature=youtu.be

A good makeover but still the same old Jonathan

Hoffie you know so much tell us. What were these commercial reasons ?

Jonathan, of course they pulled out for commercial reasons. Corporations never do anything except for commercial reasons. And of course, they are not concerned about a few extremists shouting at Councillors. Veolia's financial situation is not everything they would like it to be. They obviously decided that the value of this contract over 25 years was not worth the hassle and the damage to their long term income prospects that it would cost them.

Hoffman, why are you posting on Shabbat? Next thing you'll be telling us is what Santa brought you for Christmas.

I don't think the issue of blogging on Shabbat was on Jonathan's Jewish Inquisition questionnaire.

You are right here it is.

Please confirm the following:

1. Examples of active participation in synagogue services over the last six months
2. The number of mezuzot in your home
3. Fluency in reading/speaking Hebrew
4. Participation in rabbinical shiurim in the past six months
5. Positions held within the Jewish community
6. Extent of kashrut observance
7. Examples of active support for Israel in past six months
8. Frequency of synagogue attendance

Here's something for the weekend
http://palestinesolidaritycampaign.com/

Glad you made it Harv

Harvey, you've said that already.

And while we are off topic , this is London BDS groups , linking to notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan . On the basis that Bruce Levy s ' one man band ' BDS took the rap for tweeting an antisemitic Press TV article , one wonders what will be the excuse this time .

https://twitter.com/CiFWatch/status/280037714882076672

"current chairman of the saudi-british society)" - says it all really.

"Veolia has gone!!! Rejoice!!
Great news - protest does work!"

How pathetic can you get?

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/5106/no-boycotts-here_veolias-boomi...

Hilarious that the BDS apparatchiks claim their flag waving and twitter campaign would cause Veolia to pull out of a multi million pound contract rather than their decision being based on purely fiscal reasons .
Keep drinking the Kool Aid guys !

And just so we dont lose sight of what is happening to the Palestinians in Syria

http://m.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Dec-23/199687-700-palest...

Any chance the BDS will stage a protest outside the Syrian embassy . Or better still organise a flotilla replete with out of date medicines . Didn't think so !

Thanks happygoldfish for alerting me to the appalling Cowper-Coles falsehoods. I have blogged here:

http://www.thejc.com/blogs/jonathan-hoffman/middle-east-weapons-salesman...

Harvey - regarding Veolia withdrawing from North London don't you think that Lawyers for Israel's involvement in silencing local protest is indicative of the judeofacist fear of the BDS movement? (I understand Hoffman and A.N.Other staged a two person counter demo at one of the many demonstrations held by the No2VAG group) The campaigners have done a marvellous job and should be commended for their commitment to justice. Many brave Jewish people were involved in this campaign (as they were involved in the campaign against apartheid in S Africa) this is a big victory for the BDS movement and one of many. Veolia has been omitted from many local authority tenders around the UK. Less than 2 months ago, Veolia failed to win Canterbury Council's 40 Million GBP contract after facing determined opposition from the local community, including Palestinian rights campaigners, over its complicity with illegal activity in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Mixing business with apartheid does not pay.

And the protest is spreading to the USA. On Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at a standing-room only meeting in the mayor’s office for the St. Louis City Board of Estimate & Apportionment (E & A), the Board declined to approve a city contract with Veolia Water, putting off the vote until there could be a full investigation into the company’s history. The decision came in light of new information on the company’s involvement with ethnic discrimination in Palestine, as well as a flurry of phone calls, emails, and meetings voicing “concerns about the company’s human rights practices and financial condition,” as reported by St. Louis National Public Radio.

In the six hours prior to the vote, board members had received more than 200 emails apiece asking them not to rush the contract through. Their phones rang off the hook as local activists also addressed the officials on Twitter. Members of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee and St. Louis Jewish Voice for Peace attended the meeting to show their opposition to Veolia.

Veolia's withdrawal was announced a year to the day after it failed to make the shortlist for the West London Waste Authority 25 years residual waste management contract covering the boroughs of Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Ealing, Richmond and Brent.
Oh dear.

Jonathan Hoffman: Then Phillips repeats the lie that

….it [Israel] has decimated the water supply in Gaza.

The truth is that Israel does not impede the flow of water to Gaza from the Gaza aquifer. Gaza’s access to this water is unaffected by how the water flowing further north, in Israel, is used.
The Palestinians have been offered assistance in building desalination plants in Gaza but have always refused.
Israel has been helping to improve the water infrastructure in Gaza and Israel was willing to double or even triple the amount of water going into Gaza. The Gazans would pay less than Israelis pay but they weren’t willing to accept that solution.

http://www.standwithus.com/FLYERS/WaterFlyer.pdf

Oh good Lord . . . here comes HappyGoldFish whose main tactic seems to be to bore people to death.

You are dull, man. Get a girl friend. I know some pretty girls. You aren't scared of women are you? (or do you look like that Hoffman bloke in which case forget it LoL) Come to Golders Green and I will introduce you around. You need it brother cos you are dull.
(Of course you could be a women but I doubt it - women are just not THAT tedious as you are)

suzanna: Right, back to topic …
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles … "I believe passionately that Israel on its present course is embarked on a pathway to assisted suicide. Suicide assisted by the Congress of the United States."

suzanna: [Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles …] "The idea that the problem can be solved by walling up the Palestinians in the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Bantustans, which the South African government embarked on in the 1940s, is not only offensive morally …"

what is offensive morally is describing israeli policy as "walling up the Palestinians in the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Bantustans" any analysis that proceeds either on the basis of such a misunderstanding of israeli policy or a deliberate misrepresentation of it is fundamentally flawed arabists such as cowper-coles have learnt that it is now unacceptably racist to compare israel with nazi germany, and instead resort to insupportable comparisons with apartheid south africa the bantustans were ten nominally independent (or autonomous) enclaves, separated from each other, and completely surrounded by south africa

they were not fenced (or "walled") blacks previously living outside the bantustans were required to relocate inside them the land designated for blacks was mostly the worst land, the land left over after the whites had selected the best land

http://www.thejc.com/blogs/jonathan-hoffman/veolia-new-report-exposes-bd...

Any claims that BDS campaigning has impacted on Veolia are pure fiction...

In considering tenders local councils are only allowed to look at value-for-money for council taxpayers.

Veolia has taken this decision purely for commercial reasons. They were not boycotted, as proved by the NLWA's confirmation last week that they would not take any of the boycott campaigning into account, and NLWA Chair Cllr Clyde Loakes expressing disappointment about their decision. The BDS campaign against Veolia is doomed as it is calling for Councils to break procurement law. All it succeeded in doing in the NLWA boroughs was to insult, irritate and offend previously neutral Councillors. The whole campaign against Veolia is based on the ludicrious notion that there is something bad about providing tram services to both Arab and Jewish residents of Jerusalem.

I have added an addendum to this blog:

http://www.thejc.com/blogs/jonathan-hoffman/veolia-and-batsheva

Of course the BDS Israel haters are going to claim credit but just ask yourself:

Is a multinational like Veolia really going to base its decision on a £4 billion contract on a tiny handful of extremists shouting at Councillors?

suzanna: More news about Veolia! (a few weeks later)

Davis, California – The Davis Committee of Palestinian Rights (DCPR) is happy to report that Veolia Water North America has withdrawn as a prospective bidder on a $325 million dollar project that would provide treated water from the Sacramento River to residents of Woodland and Davis in Yolo County, California. The announcement came at the December 20, 2012 meeting of the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency (Water Agency), a joint powers authority between the University of California – Davis and the cities of Woodland and Davis. Veolia’s withdrawal followed efforts by citizens of Yolo County to prevent Veolia’s bidding due to the company’s involvement in the violation of Palestinian human rights

you lot do keep trying, don't you? this victory claimed by the boycotters is a complete lie … the municipality decided last month to keep veolia in the running see the inestimable davis enterprise ("breaking news for yolo county"!) at http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/city/despite-bds-protest-water... (20/12/2012) … But the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency Board ruled at its meeting Thursday in Woodland that it had no business taking sides in an international debate and unanimously decided that, based on a business ethics survey each candidate was asked to filled out in January, neither Veolia Water, nor CDM United or CH2M Hill would be disqualified from the process. … About five or six other members of the public spoke on the item as well, but most were in favor of Veolia for various reasons. George Rooks, a Davis resident who also lives in Israel six months out of the year, told of his personal experiences with Veolia Transportation services, and that he did not see the wrongful discrimination of Palestinians. “On virtually every single bus trip (my wife and I have) ever taken, and every train trip we’ve ever taken, there were Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Arabs riding on the transportation,” Rooks said. “I’d just like to say that the idea that Veolia somehow discriminates against Arabs or Palestinians by operating transportation rights, is, I believe, absurd just based on my everyday experience there.” … BDS has put pressure on local businesses in the past, as in early 2010 it asked the Davis Food Co-op to ban Israeli food products from its store. However, the Co-op elected to remove itself from the debate as well and continued selling the products. however, the municipality changed the time-line (revised the schedule) of the works, leaving veolia short of resources in the area in the new time-line the municipality itself is very disappointed at veolia's withdrawal (having already rejected the boycotters, last month), see http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/with-veolia-out-only-two-firms... (22/1/2013) … after several delays in the project schedule, the company found that it could not retain the key personnel and resources it would need to compete for the project. “We looked at our resources and at our key staff and we found ourselves unable to respond based on the new timeline,” Haghighi said Wednesday. “We’re very busy with other pursuits and our resources are concentrated in other places. We just really didn’t feel like we could be gearing up again for this project based on the revised schedule.” At the agency board meeting on Dec. 20, Mayor Joe Krovoza did not appear thrilled about the development.