Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, whose members include Richard Rogers and Charles Jencks, are "considering calling for an economic boycott of Israel's construction industry in protest at the building of Israeli settlements and the separation barrier in the Occupied Territories." Independent | More | More: point/counterpoint
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As anti-Israeli Security Wall as I am, it's probably a more complex question than that. Considering it is the Palestinian people who are actually building the wall, with their own concrete, nonetheless, being paid by the Israelis more than they have made in a while. Or, more like the Pal's being starved into the work thus constructing their prison walls against their own will. Maybe we should be boycotting Israel in more ways than one. Maybe by starting to boycott our own country's support right here. In the end, I wonder how far the boycott would need to go. Anyway, add this old bit of news to the fire: Planners Take a Stand on the Israeli Wall.
Good finds Heather, thanks for covering this.
nevertheless, i think it is a bold move and one that will heopfully have a spread of influence in many sectors (the field of architecture being one), and, provide some more amplification for the wake up call to the future politicos of Israel's military urbanists bent on waging disaster.
It is very sad that Britain's public has by and large been so taken in by decades of addled reporting as to actually believe that Israel is a villainous nation.
There are contested separation barriers between India-Kashmir, Saudi Arabia-Yemen and Turkey-Syria. Spain has one around its African enclave of Melilla and Egypt recently erected one around Sharm El-Shiek. Only the Israeli one is contentious to the outside world and to these British architects and planners. Why?
They acknowledge that Israel has security concerns but they say the barrier is not the correct solution. They do not say what the correct solution is. Meanwhile the barrier has been saving lives and the number of effective terrorist incidents is down. Note that the number of attempted attacks is still very high. The BBC and Guardian will not tell you this but it must be known by anyone with integrity criticizing Israel.
The timing of this venture is very suspicious. Israel recently made some dramatic and unreciprocated moves. The Palestinians now have a Hamas government unequivocally dedicated to the dismantling of Israel and in fact, the liquidation of all Jews. Interestingly they recently ordered the Christian Gaza Bible Society closed down threatening to bomb the building if the Society was not evicted. Hamas is being fully supported by Iran which seems intent on liquidating Israel by nuclear weapons.
Something noisome is in the air. I find this boycott venture disgusting.
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