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British Airways advertises in Israeli settlements in Occupied Territories

peace activists | 13.01.2004 16:29

BA adds appeared in Ariel, an Israeli settlement in the Occupied Territories

GUSH SHALOM pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 www.gush-shalom.org

Following is the text of a letter sent today by Gush Shalom, to the British
Airways company. In the end follow address details which you can use for
adding your voice.

What it is about: Huge billboards carrying ads of British Airwaves put up
in the Ariel settlement. See for yourself at

http://gush-shalom.org/ariel

---
To
The Management
British Airways
London, UK

A few days ago, an Israeli peace activist monitoring the situation on the
West Bank noticed two large billboards placed at the entrance to the West
Bank settlement of Ariel, with a conspicuous British Airways logo.
The ads bear mock London road signs with such place names as
"Buckingham Palace", "Hyde Park" etc. and underneath them an ad
offering cheap flights to London.

I would like to point out the following:

1) Ariel is – according to international law - an illegal settlement, created
on occupied Palestinian territory in contravention if the Fourth Geneva
Convention (of which both Israel and your country are signatories) and
which forbid an occupying power to settle its citizens in occupied
territory.

2) The creation of Ariel and other West Bank settlements and their
continued maintenance and extension is about the most hotly debated and
controversial political subject in Israel. The majority wants to give up the
settlements which take to high a price and endanger the country's chance
of ever reaching peace with its Palestinian and Arab neighbors.

3) The settlement of Ariel, where the BA billboards have been placed, is
mentioned as the reason for an especially deep penetration of the
“Separation Wall” into Palestinian territory - a matter which was taken up
both by the US Government and by your country's own Prime Minister
Tony Blair. And it has even become more acute since it became part of the
agenda of the World Court in the Hague.

Given the above, the placing of very conspicuous British Airways
billboards at Ariel could be taken - even if that was not the original
intention - as an endorsement by your company of a phenomenon which,
to say the least, does not deserve endorsement. The placing of billboards
at that particular location may alienate a large number of potential
customers worldwide. It might, therefore, be advisable for your company
to order the removal of said billboards. (Photos of them can be seen at

http://gush-shalom.org/ariel).

Sincerely yours

Adam Keller
Spokesperson, Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)
Pob 2542, Holon 58125, Israel
Phone & Fax 972-3-5565804
email

info@gush-shalom.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to take up the matter yourself with British Airways:

British Airwaves press office
phone +44 (0)208 738 5100
fax +44 (0)208 738 9838;

British Airwaves customer Service
phone +44 191 490 7901
fax +44 (0)20 8759 4314

and/or emaul to:
British Airwaves Corporate Responsibilty Department

community.branch@britishairways.com

Please, send copies of emails and faxes to:

info@gush-shalom.org

peace activists

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Hmmm. There's an idea

13.01.2004 17:40

Perhaps we shouldn't stop BA or other travel companies advertising in the settlements, but instead encourage it, provided that they only sell one-way tickets to settlers.

Just a thought...

Aim Here

international law, re: arab occupation of judea and samaria

13.01.2004 22:06

Please learn the facts before you spout your impotent rage against Israel.

According to international law, Judea and Samaria were liberated by Israel from Jordanian rule in 1967. Jordan has since formally ceded claims of ownership of the land to Israel.

The only illegal settlements in Yesha are Arab settlements.

"Yesha [the "West Bank"] is not an 'occupied Arab land' but in fact an area of the Mandate which are to be dealt with in accordance with the terms of the Mandate." [That means that according to International law all Jewish settlements are legal as they are built according to Mandate's provision of "encouraging the close settlement in these areas by the Jews."]
"The Mandate does not provide for a separate Arab state to be created in Yesha." [Israel has much more right to Yesha than anybody else, according to International law, since Jordan, which captured Yesha in 1948 in an aggressive war against the young Jewish state, officially renounced all claims to Judea and Samaria in 1988].

In November of 1947, UN General Assembly resolution 181 was issued, recommending a "Plan of Partition" of Palestine. The Arabs rejected the resolution outright and Azzam Pasha, secretary-general of the Arab League, proclaimed that "the partition line shall be nothing but a line of fire and blood." The terrorist operations that began against Jewish targets on the day after the UN vote escalated into a full scale aggressive war against the newborn state. It was Jordan, and not Israel, that occupied the land of Judea and Samaria as a result of this war. Like the Romans, who changed the name Eretz Israel to Palestine in order to obliterate the name of the Jewish state from the memory of mankind, the Jordanians introduced the term "West Bank" trying to convince the world that they had always owned both banks of the Jordan river. When Israel liberated Judea and Samaria in 1967 justice was restored -- the only lawful owner of the land regained possession of it. It is ridiculous to say that Judea, Samaria and Gaza are "occupied territories" as these areas are, in fact, areas of the Mandate, where the Jews were and are encouraged to settle.

leto

Mandate problems

14.01.2004 13:03

But by the exact same line of legal reasoning you could argue that an unprovoked Israeli invasion of Jordan would be perfectly legal - that territory was also included in the Balfour Declaration which was the source of the Mandate.

Ohh, yes. Sorry forgot - you'd probably not have any problems with occupying the East Bank as well!

Ben S

Thanks Leto

14.01.2004 13:31

I've heard most of the zionist lies but yours is new to me so thanks.
Is the Mandate you refer to the 'British mandate palistine' thing? What right did Britian have to give away Arab land? Or is it some UN thing? Likewise the UN had no authority to give away Arab land. You blame the Romans for kicking ancient Jews from land. So why don't you sue them?

Dee

It worked

15.01.2004 11:59

Anyway, it seems British Airways acknowledge the illegality of the settlements as well. They are taking it down. So hooray for BA. Actually, don't tell anyone I said that. Its a tribute to the organisation of those Gush Shalom folks that BA recieved hundreds of e-mails and phone calls about this.

Hermes

UK Indymedia