Demonstration against the forced transfer of 40,000 Bedouin citizens of Israel

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Demonstration against the forced transfer of 40,000 Bedouin citizens of Israel

July 5, 2013

On Friday, July 5 at 4 PM, a demonstration will be held across the street from the Israeli consulate in Toronto, protesting the Israeli government’s plan to evict up to 40,000 Bedouin from their ancestral lands in the south of Israel.

“We at Independent Jewish Voices are outraged that the Israeli government would threaten to remove the Bedouin from their homes, demolish their villages, and relocate them against their will to impoverished townships on the outskirts of their ancestral lands,” said Independent Jewish Voices -Toronto spokesperson and event organizer, Howard Davidson. “This is completely unacceptable behaviour for any country, but especially one that claims to be a democracy and that has the unwavering support of Canada’s government.”

The Begin-Prawer Plan, which is the name of the law calling for the mass expulsion of the Bedouin from their ancestral lands, passed its first reading in the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday, June 23. If the law is fully passed and implemented, it will mean the destruction of 35 Bedouin villages. Over the ruins of these villages, the Jewish National Fund—an Israeli parastatal with a charitable branch in Canada—will plant forests and help to establish Jewish-only settlements as part of its four billion dollar campaign, Blueprint Negev.

“Any state that removes one ethnic group against their will to make room for the settlement of another ethnic group, cannot be considered a legitimate democracy in the eyes of the international community,” said Davidson. “This type of discriminatory behaviour needs to be opposed by all Canadians who value human rights and social justice.”

The demonstration is sponsored by Independent Jewish Voices-Toronto, and is endorsed by Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), Palestine House, and Women in Solidarity with Palestine.

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Howard Davidson, Spokesperson for Independent Jewish Voices – Toronto, 647-708-3921, howardsdavidson@yahoo.com

For more information contact:
Howard Davidson
Spokesperson
Independent Jewish Voices - Toronto
Phone: 416-944-3914
Cell: 647-708-3921
Email: howardsdavidson@yahoo.com
Website: ijvcanada.org

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