Monthly Archives: February 2011

Press Release 22/02/2011: Students protest Israeli ambassador’s visit to Edinburgh University

A lecture yesterday afternoon by Ron Prosor, Israel’s Ambassador to the UK, at Edinburgh University, was met with protests from within and outside the venue.

A group of 100 people, comprised of students, members of the local Palestinian community and the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, assembled outside McEwan Hall to protest the event, hosted by the Edinburgh University Politics Society. The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, and “Boycott Israel”.

Despite heavy security measures, 10 student activists were able to enter the venue to lead a peaceful demonstration inside. During Prosor’s talk, the protesters stood up one by one, shouting the name of a Palestinian child that they were there to represent. All of the names said were those of children killed in Operation Cast Lead in January 2009. Each of them put tape over their mouths to signify the “silencing” and turned their backs on Prosor in a defiant symbolic protest. After about ten minutes they left the room, signalling their disgust at the invitation of a mouthpiece of a regime which had silenced so many innocent Palestinians.

After the hour-long talk, demonstrators continued to gather around the McEwan Hall and Ron Prosor had to be sneaked out a back entrance by police and security

This is the second time in the space of three weeks, that Edinburgh University students have protested the invitation of an official Israeli representative. A lecture by Ishmael Khaldi, advisor to Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, had to be cancelled after demonstrators filled the venue.

A statement by Edinburgh SJP read “We were delighted with the turnout for the protest yesterday. Edinburgh students are playing an increasing role in the campaign to boycott Israel until they end their apartheid, colonial policies towards the occupied Palestinian people. Ron Prosor was here to spew Israeli propaganda and defend war crimes and the actions of the protesters sent him a clear message that he is not welcome at our University. We continue to be deeply disturbed by the Politics society’s decision to host such a representative However Prosor’s presence in Edinburgh yesterday only strengthens our resolve to continue the fight for the boycott of Apartheid Israel on campus.”

Israeli Shir Hever talks on: The Political Economy of Israel’s occupation – 24th Feb

When: Thursday 24th of February. 13:00-16:00
Where: 11.01 David Hume Tower

In the same week as the ambassador for Israeli apartheid, Ron Prosor, visited Edinburgh University, Students for Justice in Palestine are delighted to host Shir Hever, an Israeli economic researcher for joint Palestinian-Israeli organisation The Alternative Information Centre and author of ‘The Political Economy of Israel’s Occupation’.

As part of a tour organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Capaign, Shir will be talking on the need for using boycott tactics against Israel to force it to abide by international law.

Come along for what is sure to be an engaging discussion and if you want to find out what Israelis who want fight the occupation think we should be doing.

As he says:
“Israeli society is a decadent society in an unstoppable decline, resistant to internal calls for reform and politically paralysed from within.”
“Only external pressure can truly bring change to this society, and allow democracy to take hold in the region, not only for the benefit of Palestinians, but for the benefit of Israelis too. External pressure, by using political and economic tools such as sanctions and boycott, returns the issues of civil rights and democracy to the fore, and deprives Israel of the option to use its military might to make the problem go away.”

Visit Palestine with SJP!

Visit PalestineEdinburgh University Students for Justice in Palestine are planning their third annual trip to Palestine!

Are you interested in visiting the Middle East? Learning more about the situation on the ground, Palestinian culture and meeting students from Palestine? This could be for you! This trip is open to all Edinburgh University students and takes place after May exams.

Come along to an open meeting on Wednesday the 16th of February at 13.00 in room 7.01, David Hume Tower.

We’ll explain how the last trip went and what we’re planning this year. If you have any questions, just email edinburghsjp@gmail.com .

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

SJP in Edinburgh Evening News: “Israeli Minister sparks demo by students”

Edinburgh Evening NewsSee the article on the Edinburgh Evening News website.

EDINBURGH University security officers had to be brought in last night after 50 protesters claimed to have shut down a lecture by the Israeli foreign minister’s special advisor.

The talk by Ishmael Khaldi, hosted by the University’s Jewish society and held in Appleton Tower at 5.30pm, was delayed, then interrupted by students chanting support for Palestinian refugees.

However, security did not have to intervene and Mr Khaldi, advisor to Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, left the stage after 45 minutes.

The protest followed a talk, hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine, earlier that day by US Iraq war veteran Mike Prysner, in which he linked US foreign policy to the suffering of the Palestinians.

The talk was set to be held by the International Relations society the previous night, but the society declined to host him.

President of the society, Ledys Sanjuan, said “The IR society had a long discussion about hosting Ishmael Khaldi. We came to the conclusion that providing a platform for a representative of the Israeli state would be at the expense of the millions of Palestinians who live under Apartheid.”