Action Alert : Demand The OECD Cancel Their Planned Tourism Conference in Jerusalem

Despite Israel’s persistent violations of human rights and disregard for International law, the OECD – whose member countries include the majority of the world richest countries – granted Israel membership on May 27th this year.

On the 20-22 of October 2010 The OECD plans to hold its bi-annual tourism conference. This year's summit, which usually takes place in Paris, is planned to be held in Jerusalem - a city whose indigenous Palestinian residents suffer from systemic discrimination and expulsion.

Tourism plays an important role in Israel’s colonization of occupied East Jerusalem. The state and right wing settler organizations cooperate in expelling Palestinians residents from East Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah for the creation of colonies combined with biblical theme parks for tourists.

Please join us in calling on the OECD to cancel its tourism conference in Jerusalem. Below is a suggested template letter we have drafted. Please change it to your liking (or just use it as is), fill in your details in the form bellow, and hit the send button to send the letter.

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After sending the letter you will be taken to a page where you can tell others about this campaign, please ask your friends to send a letter as well.

Subject : OECD Tourism Conference in Jerusalem

Letter: *

Dear Mr. Angel Gurria,
Chairman of the OECD,
 
I write in order to call on you to cancel the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) tourism conference in Jerusalem. Israel behaves in complete disregard of International law and a multitude of U.N. resolutions; the State of Israel:

•    De facto, illegally and unilaterally annexed this territory in 1967 by expanding the municipal boundaries of "West Jerusalem" to include the old city of Jerusalem and its surroundings;
•    Announced in 1980 that the "complete and united Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel";
•    Systematically practices institutionalized discrimination against Palestinian Jerusalemites. Palestinians cannot vote in the national elections and, unlike Jewish Israelis, their residency rights are often revoked if they temporarily leave the city;
•    Is "developing" tourist sites in occupied East Jerusalem by establishing Jewish colonies in those sites and waging a campaign of terror and expulsion against the Palestinian residents;
•    Is denying Palestinians from the rest of the occupied territories access to Jerusalem.

As you are aware, United Nations Security Council Resolution 465 states, "The Security Council [...] Determines that all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East."

Despite this and many other resolutions illegal Israeli policies in Jerusalem and the occupied territories continue to intensify.
We remind you that Security council Resolution 465 also "[...]Calls upon all States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connection with settlements in the occupied territories[...]"

In light of the fact that all major tourist attractions in Jerusalem are in the occupied Palestinian territories, holding an OECD tourism conference in Jerusalem constitutes concrete assistance to settlements in the occupied territories and solidifies Israel’s control of the holy sites in Jerusalem. Such support of Israel’s crime is contrary to international law.

Unfortunately, this support for Israeli violations of international law has been the position of the OECD since Israel was accepted as a member. Statistics provided by the Israeli government to the OECD included data regarding Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories but no data related the Palestinians residents of those same areas. This further entrenches the assumption that the OECD is intentionally disregarding Israel's violation of international law, instead of confronting it.

I therefore call on you to respect and uphold International law by canceling the planned tourism conference in Jerusalem and revoking Israel’s membership in the OECD.

Sincerely,

Your information

First name: *

Last name: *

Your email: *

Country: *

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