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Palestine

Palestine in the Middle East: Opposing neoliberalism and US power
16-Jul-2008 The Bullet
It is not merely the depth of suffering or length of exile that makes the Palestinian struggle an imperative of international solidarity in the current period. It is also the central location of the struggle within the broader context of global resistance to imperialism and neoliberalism. At the heart of this regional framework is the intrinsic relationship between the development of neoliberal capitalism in the Middle East and normalization of relations with Israel. All of the efforts of the US and their client regimes in the region are aimed at promoting these.
Petition: Suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement
26-Jun-2008 Petitionsite
Sign this petition which calls for an immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and any further trade between Israel and EU Member States in protest against Israel’s continued violation of human rights of the Palestinian people.
EU decision to upgrade relationship with Israel reveals Europe’s selective adherence to human rights standards
21-Jun-2008 AIC
Monday’s announcement for increased relations concerns three areas: diplomatic cooperation; Israel’s participation in European plans and agencies; and an examination of possible Israeli integration into the European Single Market.
Palestinian PM urges EU not to upgrade Israel ties
4-Jun-2008 Reuters
At issue is whether to deepen relations governed by the current EU-Israel association agreement
The right to run their own economy: AIC policy paper on Palestinian trade
19-Mar-2008 AIC
Israel is not interested in the supposed “peace dividends” associated with free trade based on the sovereign economic policy of all parties. Israel evidently has other plans, most obvious of which are territorial expansionism and control of the population, both incompatible with Palestinian sovereignty.
Israeli, Palestinian businessmen urge trade talks
12-Dec-2007 The Guardian
Key members of the Israeli and Palestinian private sectors recommended in a joint study that peace negotiators adopt a "Free Trade Agreement Plus" (FTA Plus) as the basis for economic relations between Israel and any future Palestinian state.
The swell of boycott
23-Aug-2007 New Matilda
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has called for divestment from Israeli companies: a campaign aimed at the European Union, which accounts for two-thirds of Israel’s exports under an EU-Israel Association Agreement. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Jean Ziegler, has said that human rights conditions in the agreement should be invoked and Israel’s trading preferences suspended. This is unusual, for these were once distant voices.
The Jordan-Israel QIZs have been insignificant for peace
28-May-2007 Daily Star
The impact of the Qualifying Industrial Zones — a concept proposed by the United States in 1996 to bolster cooperation between Jordan and Israel after the Jordan-Israel peace agreement was signed in 1995 — remains, after 10 years, difficult to determine. In spite of the tremendous growth of exports to the US market through these zones, QIZs continue to receive mixed reviews and their future is uncertain. Most importantly, the impact of the QIZs on the peace effort has been insignificant, to say the least.
Israeli industrialists’ strategy in the global supply chain
27-Apr-2007
The aim of this paper is to try to understand the Israeli industrialists’ strategy in the globalization process in the course of the recent years. The new strategy was implemented in the days of the first Intifada (the Palestinian uprising) in the late 80s. At that time voices were heard in the Association of Israeli Industrialists, the strongest organization of Israeli employers, advocating an agreement with the Palestinians which would not oppose the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, as long as the Palestinian economic dependence on Israel is preserved.
“Trade for Peace with Israel” falls short
29-Mar-2007 TCF
The next time your Wal-Mart sweatpants read “Made in Jordan QIZ” on the label, consider the relationship between economic integration and peace. The truth might not be what you expect.
Time to get serious about Israel
1-Feb-2007 The Guardian
The UK House of Commons international development committee is calling on the Labour government to press for sanctions against Israel over its treatment of the Palestinian people. As a first step in putting pressure on the Israeli government to end this oppression, the UK should now urge its fellow members in the EU to consider suspending the EU-Israel association agreement, the cross-party committee says.
European lawmakers call for international force to stop killings in Gaza
12-Nov-2006 IRNA
Members of the European Parliament which recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Israel and Palestine insisted that the EU should review its association agreement with Israel.
Honest Tony, peace broker
14-Jun-2006 The Guardian
Rather than rebuke Israel, the UK and its fellow EU member states are actually sitting down today with Israeli representatives in Brussels to seal the continuation of the EU-Israel association agreement. The agreement grants Israel important trading preferences for its exports into the EU, even though these are supposedly conditional on respect for human rights from both sides.
Yes Mr. Solana, the EU has abandoned the Palestinian people
4-May-2006 The Electronic Intifada
If Solana wants to demonstrate genuine support for the Palestinians he can start by calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, in accordance with its Article 2 which grants Israel trade privileges only on condition that it respects human rights.
Punishing the victim: PCHR position paper on the decision to stop international aid to the Palestinian National Authority
24-Apr-2006 PCHR
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights says that the EU has failed to enforce Article 2 of its Association Agreement with Israel and suspend the privileges given to Israel until it fulfills its obligations on human rights and democracy.
Hundreds rally against lifting ban
9-Oct-2005 Gulf Daily News
Hundreds of people turned up at two separate sites to demonstrate against Bahrain’s lifting of a boycott of Israeli goods yesterday
Palestinian, Jordanian officials initial Free Trade Agreement
13-Aug-2005 MENAFN
Palestinian officials said on Thursday that they seek to partly replace Israeli goods with made-in-Jordan products after a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two Arab sides goes into effect.
Euro-Med Association Agreements: the Partnership is moving forward
27-Nov-2004 EU
An essential feature of the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership has been the negotiation of Association Agreements between the European Union and nine of its Mediterranean Partners to replace the 1970s Co-operation Agreements.
EU, Israel resolve trade dispute over settlements
27-Aug-2004 EU, Israel resolve trade dispute over settlements
Goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will no longer be allowed to enter the European Union tariff-free under an agreement initialed on Thursday.
EU deal in ’Made in Israel’ row
7-Aug-2004 EU deal in ’Made in Israel’ row
Agreement has been reached in a wrangle between the European Commission and Israel over goods made in Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza.