International law & climate change

Would political leaders convening at Copenhagen be able to produce an international convention that will be able to combat climate change? According to Professor Gerry Simpson, this  question fundamentally concerns our faith in international law.

Exploitation of migrant workers in Israel

According to the NLC who recently released a report by Kav LaOved, an Israeli and Palestinian NGO that seeks to protect workers’ rights, many migrant workers in Israel’s agricultural sector are being exploited and face slave labor conditions.

In the report, Agricultural Migrant Workers in Israel, the organisation documented various human rights violations such as workers being coerced to work longer hours than the legal requirements; workers not being paid for overtime work; salaries being delayed or lower than the minimum wage; and high incidences of work-related accidents as a result of safety codes violations e.t.c.

Amongst the findings are the disturbing allegations of the trafficking of Thai migrant workers amongst farmers,

… Just as the local farmer (whether in a Kibbutz, Moshav or an individual farm) is allocated water and land by the State, the farmer is also entitled to a Thai workers allocation, provided the farmer really has a farm and does not trade workers. If a farmer manages to accrue sufficient land and water allowances, he also controls migrant worker allowances. As a result an agricultural oligarchy has been created in Israel, which illegally leases land, water and migrant worker allocations from former farmers…

In one case,

… The Rabbi of a large Moshav in the Eshkol Region, who does not farm, recently hired out his three Thai workers to another farmer for 800 shekels per month per person. The Rabbi gave a discount because the normal rate is 1,000 shekels per month without invoices. Most of the agricultural black market deals are done in cash, and the agricultural establishment seems to be encouraging them…

Channel 4 – Dispatches – Israel Lobby in the UK

According to Peter Oborne and James Jones who made this documentary for channel 4, the influence of the pro- Israel lobby is significant in the UK. For example,during the production of this film,

… Many people who privately voiced concerns about the influence of the lobby simply felt they had too much to lose by confronting it. One national newspaper editor told us, “that’s one lobby I’ve never dared to take on.” From MPs, to senior BBC journalists and representatives of Britain’s largest charities, the pattern became depressingly familiar. Material would come flooding out on the phone or in a meeting, but then days later an email would arrive to say that they would not be able to take part. Either after consultation with colleagues or consideration of the potential consequences, people pulled out…

The power of the lobby has even extended to MPs who felt threatened to voice any doubts on Israel’s OPT policies:

… It was only senior MPs whose careers are winding down that felt able to voice what many MPs told us in private. One of them, Michael Mates, a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee and former Northern Ireland minister, told us on the record that “the pro-Israel lobby in our body politic is the most powerful political lobby. There’s nothing to touch them.” Mates added: “I think their lobbying is done very discreetly, in very high places, which may be why it is so effective.”..

Read the pamphlet html text from Open Democracy on the makings of this film.

Anti-death penalty appeal for Yong Vui Kong – Singapore

Source: Amnesty International Canada (from Singabloodypore)

Friends,

We have learned that Yong Vui Kong’s final appeal to Singapore’s President is expected to be heard with the coming week. It is, therefore, urgent that our appeals to him are sent before that decision is made.  I am urging those who have not yet written to send their appeals immediately.  See Urgent Action below.

In June of this year, Vui Kong’s brother wrote a letter of apology and a plea for clemency to President Nathan.  We now have permission to share with you translated excerpts of that letter:

Breaking Walls, Breaking Apartheid

Image from Al Jazeera/ sourced from AFP

To mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Palestinian and foreign activists have destroyed parts of the Israel’s separation wall in a demonstration. Using only a lorry, they pulled down a two-metre cement block before being attacked by Israeli security forces with tear gas grenades.

According to the Stop the Wall Campaign website, a series of international events, under the banner, “Unite Against Apartheid” from 9 to 16 November, would be held to protest against the apartheid wall. In Australia, the groups, Australians for Palestine; and Women for Palestine would be picketing against Israel’s Jerusalem Quartet at farewell performances around the country.