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.