Opinion Editorials, March 2010

What do Netanyahu and Nordstrom Stores Have in Common?

By Code Pink

Al-Jazeerah, ccun.org, March 29, 2010

CODEPINK protests illegal settlements outside the AIPAC convention More: AIPAC protests

On Monday morning, just days after we marched for peace with thousands in DC, CODEPINK issued a fake press release from The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) calling for the freeze of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many media outlets bought it including CSPAN, which showcased this "breaking news" during Hillary's Clinton's speech to AIPAC. Most commentators noted that our fake release forced AIPAC to say it was not against settlements, thus putting AIPAC at odds with the White House and the State Department.

Later that night, CODEPINK activists interrupted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during his keynote speech at the AIPAC gala dinner. Rae courageously stood on a table a few feet away from the podium to unfurl a banner that read: "Netanyahu: Build Peace Not Settlements." (Read Rae's account here).

While most of Congress still bows in fear before AIPAC, CODEPINK stands up for a peaceful and just future for both Palestinians and Israelis. We can't wait for our government to lead the way; we need to join the Palestinians, Israelis and international activists around the world who are using Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) to pressure Israel to respect human rights and international law.

On March 30, 2010, activists around the world will mark Land Day with coordinated BDS actions. There will be Stolen Beauty (www.stolenbeauty.org) AHAVA boycott actions in NYC, D.C., Chicago, Montreal, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This past week we moved forward with our boycott in NYC when the president of Ricky's NYC, a family-owned cosmetics & sundries chain, called in response to the 2,000 e-mails our supporters sent him for Valentine's Day. Our latest Stolen Beauty target is Nordstrom, a chain of department stores that touts itself as a socially responsible business. Join us in telling Nordstrom to stop selling AHAVA products, which are made from stolen resources in occupied Palestine.

Send a letter to Nordstrom today to ask them to stop carrying Ahava, a product that is far from being socially responsible.

The global day of action comes at a time when pro-Israel lobby groups such AIPAC and the Israeli government have vowed to sabotage the growing successes of the BDS movement. See here calendar of events to find out about BDS actions around the world. Want to organize an action of your own at a Nordstrom or other store in your city that carries Ahava? Email Rae with your action idea or info and she can send you a list of stores in your area that carry AHAVA.
Onwards for justice,

Dana, Emily, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Janna, Jodie, Medea, Nancy, Prerna, Rae and Whitney