Volvo, international law and BDS
Reageer (3)Mr Leif Johannsson
President and Chief Executive Officer
AB Volvo
SE - 405 0
Göteborg
Sweden
re. Volvo, international law and BDS
cc. Mr. Hakan Emsgard, Ambassador of Sweden, The Hague
Mr. Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO, Volvo Cars Corporation, Göteborg
The Hague, 10th January 2011
Dear Mr. Johannsson,
During my stay in the Middle East, I decided to devote some of my time after retirement to make a modest contribution towards a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Within this context, I am asking your attention for some aspects where Volvo is an actor.
The International Court of Justice, the sole supreme legal entity issuing globally binding verdicts, ruled on 9th July 2004 that the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories is illegal. Israel was instructed to withdraw from East-Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank of the river Jordan behind the so-called Green Line of 1967. After withdrawal, parties should conduct final status negotiations on an equal footing. Unfortunately, Israel did the contrary. It expanded and still expands its presence and its grip on these territories. Regrettably, the United States and the European Union member states condone Israel's disobedience and violations of international law.
I am not alone. A truly worldwide civic movement is emerging and gaining strength by the day. Trade unions and other civic organisations all over the world are engaged in a movement called Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS). The movement aims at imposing boycotts of goods and services from Israel and the illegal settlements, ask organisations to withdraw investments from companies supporting the Israeli machinery of suppression and urge governments to impose sanctions. The ultimate aim is to discipline Israel, the country to adhere to international law and to engage in serious and meaningful peace negotiations.
The movement is slowly, but surely gaining such momentum that the Israeli authorities begin to express concerns about the impact on the economy.
Just two cases may illustrate the point in case. Unilever withdrew from investments in the food processing industry on the West Bank, catering for the illegal Jewish settlers. A significant number of churches in the United States withdrew their investments in Caterpillar, the company that provides the Israeli authorities with custom designed bulldozers for the demolition of Palestinian houses, a crime against humanity.
My international contacts gave me the distinct impression that the Swedish civic society is strongly endorsing international law and opposes Israel's suppression of the Palestinian people. Likewise, the Government of Sweden plays a most positive and civilized role, aiming at a just and lasting peace among others within the European Union context.
Against this background, it comes as a surprise and a deception that AB Volvo cooperates with the Israeli authorities in suppressing the Palestinian people in at least two cases.
Ever since the establishment of the State of Israel, the authorities arrest, torture and convict large numbers of Palestinian men, women and children. Most indictments - if any - are bogus. The legal procedures - if any - are in Hebrew [not in their native language, Arabic] and a farce. The verdicts under military law (!) - if any - are arbitrary. The whole system is not intended to deliver justice, but to impose state terror. The total number runs in the order of some 760.000 to date. It is equivalent to the total population of a mid-sized European city like Amsterdam and far more than that of Göteborg. Presently, some 10.000 mostly innocent people languish in Israeli jails. Between October 2000 and April 2009 alone, 6,700 Palestinian children aged 8 to 18 were put in jail. They were tortured, kept in isolation, threatened or actually sexually abused until they would sign any confession in Hebrew, convicted and locked-up. A number of terrified children are blackmailed into serving as Israeli spies, reporting on their own family, friends and neighbours. Presently, on average, some 50 children are taken into custody per month.
These practices constitute grave violations against international treaties against torture and for the protection of women and of the rights of children.
The prisoners are mainly kept in jail in Israel, a gross violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits deportation of people under occupation outside of their territory.
The transport of the Palestinian prisoners to and from Israel is being carried out by for this purpose custom-designed Volvo busses.
[The Mars Prisoner Bus is developed, produced and marketed by Merkavim, in which Volvo took a 26.5% share. Meyer's Cars and Trucks, the sole Volvo dealer in Israel, holds the other 73.5% of shares. Thus, the Mars Prisoner Bus is a Volvo bus pur sang.]
To-day, the US-Administration strongly criticised the Israeli authorities for starting demolishing the Sherpherd Hotel in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. It is planned to house twenty apartments for [illegal] Jewish settlers. The US-Administration considers this a further blockade for resuming peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The European Union reported last month that continued expansion of settlements "renders the prospect of East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian State increasingly unrealistic".
I watched two heavy duty equipment gear in action, demolishing the Sherpherd Hotel, on Al Jazeera worldwide television network. The whole world, including the Arab and the wider Muslim worlds, could not fail to read their brand name on at least two vehicles: Volvo. [See attachment]
It should not come as a surprise to you that I urge AB Volvo to terminate these and, perhaps similar activities immediately. Volvo should not support the Israeli authorities terrorising Palestinian prisoners, nor assisting them in erecting additional blockades on the road to a just and lasting peace between parties.
I presume that AB Volvo wants to be seen as a multinational company complying with best standards of integrity. AB Volvo, so it seems, does not want to be associated with such heinous crimes.
In addition, AB Volvo should be careful avoiding to become the target of the worldwide BDS-movement. It might hurt brand name and sales more than perhaps presently expected. Also, uninformed, but concerned people might believe that Volvo Cars Corporation is to blame for AB Volvo's irresponsible behaviour and wrongly boycott the Corporation's branches worldwide. I am convinced, however, that under these unique circumstances AB Volvo assumes responsibility for the legitimate interests of Volvo Cars Corporation.
In other words, AB Volvo does not hesitate terminating all commercial dealings with all Israeli authorities with immediate effect.
Yours sincerely,
Jan J. Wijenberg
former ambassador for The Netherland
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Reactie van liever niet ♪ khaybar yahud ♬ | datum: 2011-01-20 00:15:01 |
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Ah! ik was bijna het geval Unilever vergeten, ook zo'n onterecht geclaimde troffee van gefabriceerd success.
- (Novum) - Levensmiddelenfabrikant Unilever ontkent dat het voornemen om zijn belang in een fabriek in de Israëlische nederzetting Barkan op de Westelijke Jordaanoever te verkopen een politiek motief heeft. - Een gelijksoortige toekenning als de recente 'John Lewis' overwinning (Het artikel van 15-1-2011 is jammer genoeg verwijderd ) maar ! .. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:xqGEIcnHAUMJ:www.stopdebezetting.com/wereldpers/uk-retailer-divests-from-dead-sea-cosmetics.html+http://www.stopdebezetting.com/wereldpers/uk-retailer-divests-from-dead-sea-cosmetics.html&;cd=1&hl=nl&ct=clnk&gl=nl |
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Reactie van JJ | datum: 2011-01-17 21:35:52 |
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Ik zoek nog een mooie V70.....
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