Call to endorse the BDS campaign against the Israeli apartheid regime
Given the importance of the strategic and constant support to the Palestinian people in the World Social Forums;
Given the conclusions of the World Social Forum Free Palestine in Porto Alegre in 2012, which called for “reinforcement of solidarity and of boycott against the apartheid state” and the 2010 World education forum in Ramallah, which demanded from the international community to put in place “ a boycott that will force Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestine”;
Given that the WSF charter opposes « any form of imperialism » opposes « all totalitarian views, and the use of violence as a means of social control” and “It upholds respect for Human Rights,” and “will increase the capacity for non-violent social resistance to the process of dehumanization the world is undergoing and to the violence used by the State”;
Given the call issued by the Palestinian civil society, in respect to leading an international Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions campaign (BDS) urging Israel to:
1. End its occupation and colonization of Palestine and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
We ask all organizations participating in the World Social Forum, and its International Council, to adopt and endorse the campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the Israeli apartheid regime, in order to commit local organizational committees of the various editions of the WSF to the BDS campaign until Israel complies with international law and the respect of human rights.
To this end, we ask that the WSF becomes an « Apartheid Free » space by making sure there is no israeli product, no company targetted by the BDS campaign for its complicity with israeli colonisation, or israeli organisations that would be either actor or complicit with the israeli colonial politics.
This petition will be delivered to
WSF 2016 Collective
International Council of World Social Forum