NEW PROFILE POLICY ON DIVESTMENT

NOVANEWS
I recommend that NP send to Smelko the statement that we (I in the name of NP) sent in support of the vote, except changing the wording only slightly from supporting the bills to be passed to supporting the bills already passed. I propose to send the below by evening, if no one objects. Will be glad to include any changes in the text that anyone proposes.
Dorothy
New Profile is an Israeli feminist organization working to transform Israel from a militaristic society to a civil-ized one. On February 28, 2005 NP adopted the following policy on divestment.
New Profile Policy on Divestment
“We, a group of feminist women and men, are convinced that we need not live in a soldiers’ state. Today, Israel is capable of a determined peace politics. It need not be a militarized society. We are convinced that we ourselves, our children, our partners, need not go on being endlessly mobilized, need not go on living as warriors.
We understand that the state of war in Israel is maintained by decisions made by politicians—not by external forces to which we are passively subject. While taught to believe that the country is faced by threats beyond its control, we now realize that the words “national security” have often masked calculated decisions to choose military action for the achievement of political goals.”
[The opening paragraph of the New Profile Charter, www.newprofile.org]
New Profile aims to transform Israel from a highly militaristic society to a civilian society dedicated to equality of gender and ethnicity and firmly based on universal human rights.
One of several characteristics of militarism is the use of force to obtain political objectives. New Profile deems Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians to be a use of force to obtain the political objective of creating the ‘greater Israel.’
New Profile opposes the Occupation on three counts:
1. Its destruction of Palestinian life, society, land, and property.
2. Its role in maintaining militarism in Israel.
3. Its erosion of Israel’s socio-economic and moral fabric
We therefore seek non-violent means of ending this catastrophic Occupation. One such means is using economic sanctions to pressure the government to change its policy. To this end New Profile welcomes and supports selective divestment aimed at divesting from companies that contribute to the continuation of the Occupation by supplying arms, other equipment, or staff.
We welcome all such endeavors, believing firmly that ending the occupation is not only to the benefit of the Palestinians but also necessary for the welfare of Israel, its youth, and future generations. Over 20,000 Israeli soldiers have died in its wars since 1948.
Enough. It is time to beat our swords into ploughshares, to bring security to Israel by giving the Palestinians their freedom and recognizing their absolute right to exist, and to build a future for today’s Israeli youth and generations to come by creating a civilian society whose underpinnings are equality of gender and ethnicity and universal human rights..
On the above grounds, New Profile warmly endorses bills 117 and 118 passed by the Senate on March 17, 2010, calling for the University of California to divest from two companies—GE and UT–that directly support the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
These bills call for the end of University funding to Israel’s military arsenal and the weapons that it uses in committing the war crimes recognized by international law and the United Nations, and in wars and military campaigns that claim lives on both sides—Israeli and Palestinian.
Dorothy Naor, for New Profile
March 17, 2010
From: rel
To: New Profile Info List
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:58 AM
Subject: [newprofile message:3342] FW: [bfw] Fwd: URGENT PLEA FROM UC BERKELEYSTUDENTS FOR JUSTICE INPALESTINE
A call for action from Berkeley students.
From: bbffww@googlegroups.com [mailto:bbffww@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of matan cohen
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 7:07 AM
To: matan cohen
Subject: [bfw] Fwd:
URGENT PLEA FROM UC BERKELEY STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE INPALESTINE
From: d. alwan
Date: Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 12:54 AM
Subject: URGENT PLEA FROM UC BERKELEY STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE
To: URGENT PLEA FROM UC BERKELEY STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE
Thank you so much to all of the people who joined us on Wednesday night to support the ASUC bill urging divestment from companies that directly fund Israel’s illegal occupation and war crimes (General Electric and United Technologies), and to all who sent letters in support of the bill to senators these last couple of weeks. We could not have accomplished the 16-4 win without the massive support we received from the UC community and beyond.
Now, we need your help one last time to get this bill fully passed.
Tomorrow is the last day ASUC President Will Smelko can VETO this bill and we have believe he is considering such action. We hope you can find one last surge of energy and put it toward emails to President Smelko.
We know he is now receiving a large number of emails urging him to veto the bill. We NEED to counter this by showing him the great level of support behind the bill, which he could not have seen Wednesday as he was not present at the Senate meeting.
Please send an email to President Smelko and let him know that you support this bill and ask him not to veto it. Even a one-liner would help!
President Will Smelko’s email: president@asuc.org
Thanks!!
Dunya ‘Alwan
Birthright Unplugged, Director
www.birthrightunplugged.org