"The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has reclassified Judaism's holiest site as solely Muslim, in a move branded as absurd and "anti-Semitic" by Israel.

The Temple Mount and Western Wall in Jerusalem have been viewed as holy territory under Jewish faith. But UNESCO has now classed them as Muslim sites, which are known in Islam as the Haram esh-Sharif and Buraq Wall..."

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/unesco-declares-judaisms-holiest-site-temple-mount-muslim-not-jewish-1586276

"It may not be the reunion fans were hoping for, but Pink Floyd have come together to support a pro-Palestinian activist group.

The Women’s Boat to Gaza is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It contains 13 women, including the 1976 Nobel peace laureate from Northern Ireland, Mairead Maguire, and it journeyed from Barcelona to Gaza in September in order to bring attention to the Israeli’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip..."

Read more: http://radio.com/2016/10/06/pink-floyd-reunite-gaza-blockade/

"Two journalists from Al Jazeera who were on board Zaytouna-Oliva have been freed from illegal captivity and have safely reached London and Moscow. Our lawyers advise that all of the other women participants except one have been freed from illegal captivity. 

During the attack on the boat and their capture, the women insisted that the actions of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) were illegal and that they were being taken against their will to Israel..."

More updates at: https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org

For Immediate Release
20 September 2016

Ajaccio, Corsica, France: The Women’s Boat to Gaza (Zaytouna-Oliva) left the port of Ajaccio at 09:30 this morning. It is due to arrive later this week in Messina, Sicily, Italy, where it will dock for the last time, prior to sailing to challenge the illegal blockade of Gaza.

One of the participants aboard, Lisa Gay Hamilton said: “It is an honor to be here and join this extraordinary group of women. This issue is bigger than me, than any of us. As a mother, as a daughter, as a sister, I cannot help thinking of Palestinian women in Gaza, who live in an open-air prison because of the occupation. It is so painful to think of them, we have to take action to end the blockade of Gaza.” A full list of the participants on this leg is available at: https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/participants.

Palmira Manusco, one of the local organisers in Messina said: “We are very pleased to host the women on Zaytouna-Oliva before they embark on this historic voyage.” During their stay in Messina, all of the women will participate in non-violence training, whilst finalising supplies and equipment for the boat.

A previous Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship, the Marianne av Göteborg from Sweden, departed from Sicily last year. It however was raided in international waters by the Israeli Occupation Forces. When asked whether the Zaytouna-Oliva will reach its destination, Manusco replied: “Our destination remains the conscience of humanity. It is up to every one of us to help them succeed in this.”

The Women’s Boat to Gaza is an initiative of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition composed of civil society organizations and campaigns from more than a dozen countries.

For more information: Freedom Flotilla Italy
LOCAL COORDINATION: Lucia Intruglio Tel. +3687468528 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PRESS CONTACT: Palmira Mancuso Tel. +3453406333 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
GENERAL CONTACT: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.freedomflotilla.it/ or for general information visit www.womensboattogaza.org

BDS Malaysia salutes the decision of the Malaysian government to maintain its stance of not allowing representatives of Israel to attend any meeting in Malaysia including the planned FIFA congress in May 2017. This is in line and in the spirit of BDS Israel, an international call by civil societies across the globe to boycott and isolate Israel for its continued oppression of the Palestinians. 
(http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/08/165129/better-malaysia-not-host-fifa-congress-says-zahid)

BDA Malaysia wishes to remind everyone that Israel has kept Palestinians under a brutal military occupation and they have been subjected to countless atrocities for decades, including genocide and ethnic cleansing. Israel has also flouted international law on many occasions and continues to maintain an apartheid policy despite repeated condemnations by the international community.

The sacrifice of not being able to host the FIFA congress is minuscule compared to the sufferings of millions of Palestinians living in Israel, under occupation in the West bank and under siege in Gaza. Then there are those in diaspora unable to return to their land and homes despite being granted that right under international law.

Palestinian athletes, as with all other Palestinians, are subject to Israel's injustice. Palestinian national footballer Mahmoud Sarsak was detained for 3 years without trial or charge. Zakaria Issa, a national striker was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment in 2003. Muhammad Nimr, a striker in the Palestinian youth football team was detained from 2007 to 2009. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/how-israel-derails-promising-careers-palestinian-football-stars

Additionally the Palestinians are denied their right to free travel, needing Israeli permission to enter or leave. Their daily lives are a web of checkpoints, ID cards and permits. Commuting is time-consuming, and very difficult, due to often arbitrary decisions by individual Israeli soldiers. Daily training is an extreme challenge for Palestinian athletes and training facilities are severely compromised. For example, Mary Al-Atrash, who is representing Palestine in the 2016 Rio Olympics, is only able to train in a 25 meter pool, instead of a standard-sized 50 meter pool, due to restrictions on her movement. It has been estimated that Palestinians lose 3 million working hours per day to travel (American Anthropological Association Task Force Israel Palestine, 2015).

In 1970 South Africa was formally ejected from the International Olympic Committee and banned from virtually all international sports till the end of its apartheid policies in 1990s. Advocates for Boycott South Africa argued, “no normal sport in an abnormal society”, that is, as long as the regime prevented everyone from participating equally in society, it should be excluded from participating equally in the international arena.

Sports, especially football, widely accepted as a global sport, is closely tied to national identity, thus making sporting isolation a bitter pill to swallow, as shown with South Africa. Therefore, the international community must stand firm and show Israel that Israelis do not deserve to have a place among the civilized people of the world, as long as their government continues their current policies and practice.

Israel must honor its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully comply with the precepts of international law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall 
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194

Prof Dr. Mohd Nazari Ismail
Chairman
BDS Malaysia

The BDS Malaysia website is up and running at http://bdsmalaysia.com.

Here are a few brochures from BDS Malaysia:

PRESS STATEMENT
Celebrating the hero, Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)

04 June 2016

The human rights and Palestine solidarity organisation BDS South Africa joins the peace-loving peoples of the world in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of boxing legend and activist, Muhammad Ali.

Ali is an inspiration for those us fighting for justice - be it in the struggle against racial injustice, economic exploitation or Israeli Apartheid.

According to news reports, in 1974 already, the former boxing champion told a press conference in Beirut, that “the United States is the stronghold of Zionism and imperialism.” On a later visit to two Palestinian refugee camps Muhammad Ali is quoted as saying: “I declare support for the Palestinian struggle to liberate their homeland."

In 1985 the heavyweight boxer travelled to Israel in an attempt to secure the release of Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners held by the Israeli regime.

Ali’s determination and commitment to civil rights, anti-imperialism and social justice motivated many of our people (and our international allies) in the anti-apartheid movement. Today Ali inspires many Palestinian solidarity activists in the struggle and boycott of Israeli Apartheid.

Muhammad Ali - our champ, the peoples champ, the champ.

Hamba Kahle, Comrade Muhammad Ali. Lala ngoxolo.

ISSUED BY KWARA KEKANA ON BEHALF OF BDS SOUTH AFRICA

Israel boycott: British academic turns down prestigious award & cash prize for 'political' reasons
http://news360.com/article/352581983

Israel boycott: British academic turns down prestigious award & cash prize for ‘political’ reasons

Published time: 26 May, 2016 14:28

A British academic has turned down a prestigious Israeli award and £225,000 ($300,000) in prize money for “political” reasons, in what appears to be the latest attempt by Western activists to boycott the Jewish state.
Catherine Hall, a history professor at University College London (UCL) was due to receive a third of The Dan David Foundation £690,000 ($1 million) prize for her work’s “impact on social history, as a pioneer in gender history, race, and slavery.”

Hall, however, declined to attend the award ceremony in Tel Aviv on Sunday, saying her rejection of the prize was “an independent political choice” after engaging in “many discussions” over the Israel-Palestine conflict, AP reports.

Professor Catherine Hall © ucl.ac.uk
Her stance appears to be inspired by the international Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which several prominent British academics have joined since 2005.

In a statement to the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine, a pro-BDS group, Hall announced she withdrew from the prize “after many discussions with those who are deeply involved with the politics of Israel-Palestine, but with differing views as to how best to act.”

The foundation said Hall initially accepted the prize enthusiastically when she was selected in February, and only later asked to withdraw her name without giving a reason.

It said it would donate Hall’s prize winnings to support Israeli and international history scholars.

Previous prize recipients include former US vice president Al Gore, former British prime minister Tony Blair, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen.

BDS supporters say the movement uses non-violent means to end Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, but the Israeli government says the movement’s true goals are to destroy the country and has anti-Semitic undertones.

From the 69th World Health Assembly, Geneva (23-28 May 2016)

From Committee B Agenda 25 May 2016:
Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan

Secretariat Report
http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA69/A69_44-en.pdf

Director General Report
http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA69/A69_44Add1-en.pdf

Occupied Syrian Golan
http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA69/A69_INF4-en.pdf

Occupied Palestine Territory
http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA69/A69_INF5-en.pdf

MOH Palestine Report
http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA69/A69_INF6-en.pdf

Based on these reports, a draft decision proposed by the delegation of Kuwait on behalf of the Arab group and Palestine was voted upon

Total countries eligible to vote: 182

Yes:
108 (including Malaysia)

No:
8 (including Australia, Canada, Israel, USA)

Abstain: 8

Absent: 58

As per last year, we will be opening our scholarship application for Palestinian starting this Monday 4 April 2016.

Please find below the Scholarship timeline for the 2016 Khazanah Asia Scholarship selection:

Attached is the application form for students to apply in Malaysia. There are 2 forms, one for undergraduates and another for postgraduates.

2016 Khazanah Asia Scholarship - Application form PG and PDPA Notice Form

2016 Khazanah Asia Scholarship - Application form UG and PDPA Notice Form

Students can also download the form starting 5 April 2016 at our website. They can go to www.yayasankhazanah.com.my , under the Scholarship Programme, go to Khazanah Asia Scholarship Programme and under the Palestine information there is a link for them to download the application form. The completed form can be sent direct to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or through the partners.

Best regards,

Dianna

Yayasan Khazanah

ENHS and CENR’s Mohammed Baalousha joins Faculty Early Career Awardees

Mohammed Baalousha, an Assistant Professor at the Center for Environmental NanoScience & Risk (CENR) in the Arnold School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences (ENHS), has been awarded the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award —receiving $510,000 to support his research and education activities over a five-year period within the context of his professorship at the University of South Carolina. With approximately 2,500 proposals submitted annually, CAREER is highly competitive and is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards program for junior faculty. Awardees like Baalousha exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of research and education—activities that build a solid foundation for a lifetime of leadership in these areas.....

Full article: http://www.sph.sc.edu/news/baalousha.html