Press Release - NO TO EU-ISRAEL UPGRADE

In a letter published by The Guardian on 5th January 2009 over 300 people from wide ranging walks of life have called for:

1. The UK Government to revoke its support for any new agreements with Israel and for this to be communicated forthwith to the Czech presidency of the EU and others.

2. The European Parliament to refuse to endorse any extension of existing agreements and prevent any upgrades of EU benefits to Israel until it abides by its international legal and humanitarian obligations.

Notes to editors:

• The call for signatures was issued on 31 December and directed towards eminent members of civil society, not the political classes. The organisers sought to show the anger felt by all levels of civil society.

• There are some 220 from the UK, with others signing up as the letter went to print, so this would have been over 300 from UK by Monday.

• Although the letter was not circulated internationally by the organisers, it simply snowballed.

• The list includes:-

3 bishops from the Anglican Church
18 lawyers, many known for their work on human rights
45 senior academics
21 writers actors and musicians
3 Members of the House of Lords
4 Members of the House of Commons two of whom are Privy Councillors

15 Israelis, plus over 60 from other countries.

• Of international significance:

Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of European Parliament
Hans Von Sponeck, former UN Co-ordinator for Iraq

For further comment on the letter please contact Daniel Machover, Chair of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights on 07773341096

The full text of letter is below:

From: Professor Hilary Rose, London WC1 and 292 others (with more adding names at time of despatch)

To Letters editor, The Guardian

Despite the EU’s call for a ceasefire, the brutal Israeli bombing of Gaza continues. Nonetheless, the EU is preparing to upgrade its existing agreement to give Israel even more privileged access to European institutions.

In December, the Council of Ministers voted to support this upgrade, ignoring the fact that Israel was in breach of an “essential element” of the earlier agreement. This required States to respect “human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement.” The proposed upgrade is even weaker, and includes no obligations on Israel in respect of its illegal settlements, the illegal wall, and its repeated breaches of international human rights and international humanitarian law.

In view of the horrific events of the past days, we now call on:

The UK Government to revoke its support for any new agreements with Israel and for this to be communicated forthwith to the Czech presidency of the EU in advance of its meeting with the Commission and to the EU Council of Ministers
The European Parliament to refuse to endorse any extension of existing agreements and to use its influence to prevent any upgrades of EU benefits to Israel until it abides by its international legal and humanitarian obligations.

Totals:-

Almost 220 from the UK, including

2 bishops

18+ barristers and solicitors

45 senior academics

21 writers actors and musicians

3 peers

15 Israelis listed below, plus 60+ others from other countries

Note:

Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of European Parliament

Hans Von Sponek. former UN Co-ordinator for Iraq

Dr Daniele Albertazzi, Birmingham U

Ghassan Abu-Sitta

Dr Salah Abou-El-Fadl, Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS

Navtej Singh Ahluwalia, barrister

Professor Sultan Barakat, York U

Alexander Baker

Professor Mona Baker, Manchester Met U

Sylvia Baker

Daphna Baram

Alastair Beaton, playwright

Hilary Belchak, solicitor

Dr Susan Blackwell, Birmingham U

Lauren Booth, writer, Director Aloha Palestine

Tim Bowly

Professor Haim Bresheeth, UEL, film maker

Dr Patrick Boyd, medicine

Joan Burt

Andrea Becker, Head of Advocacy, MAP

Professor Lawrence Bush, Lancaster U

Professor Oren Ben-Dor, Southampton U

Rt Hon Tony Benn

Melissa Benn, writer

Sir Geoffrey Bindman, solicitor

Professor Bill Bowring, barrister, UCL

Eileen E. Brown OBE

Richard Burden MP

Dr Chris Burns-Cox

Dr John Chalcraft, LSE

Sylvia Cohen

Sarah Colborne, Chair PSC

Dr Neil Cooper, Bradford U

Jeremy Corbyn MP

Jean Carmichael

Mark Cazalet

Professor Stan Cohen, LSE

Sir Iain Chalmers, medicine

Rebecca Chapman, barrister

Professor Christine Chinkin, barrister and lecturer, LSE

Caryl Churchill, playwright

Professor Greville Corbett, Surrey U

Magda Cross

Dr Paul Cobley, London MetropolitanU

Judith Collin

Julia Cutmore

Professor Tony Davies

Khaleel Desai, solicitor

Professor the Lord Meghnad Desai, LSE

Jenny Diski, writer

Professor Elizabeth Ettorre, Liverpool U

Mark Elf, JSF

Dr Sam Edwards

Stephen Ford

Roy George

Dr. Eileen Gergis

Arthur Goodman

Prof Sir John Goody, Cambridge U anthropologist

Professor Penny Green, King's College London

Jean Grudgings

Dr Ramez Ghazoul

Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, barrister

Paul Gordon, psychotherapist

Professor John Gledhill

Ann Girling

Professor Mohamed El-Gomati, York U

Abe Hayeem, architect, Chair APJP

Lee Hall, playwright

Kate Harrison, solicitor

David Harries, social worker

Professor Kamel Hawwash, Birmingham U

Peter Herbert, barrister, Chair Society of Black Lawyers

John Hilary, Director War on Want

Mike Hodges, film maker

Professor Ted Honderich, University College London

Keith Hammond

Jeremy Hardy, comedian

Galit Hess

George Hill

Richard Hudson, UCL

Betty Hunter, Secretary PSC

Jocelyn Hurndall

Sue Ingham

Dan Judelson, Secretary EJJP

Dr Paula James, Open U

Professor Steve Jones, University College London

Dr Charles Jencks, architectural critic

Professor David Johnston, Queens University

Zina Jardaneh

Jane Jewell, founder, 14 Friends of Palestine

Professor Adah Kay

David Jones

Professor Ken Jones, Keele

Rosemary Jones

Stephen Kamlish QC, barrister

Helen Kay

Dr Laleh Khalili, SOAS

Dr Paul Kelemen, Manchester U

Professor Richard Keeble, Lincoln U

Salma Karmi-Ayyoub, barrister

Richard Kuper, JFJP

Dr Ghada Karmi, writer

Helen Kimble

Michael Kustow, writer

David Lepper MP

Roger Lloyd Pack

Rt Rev Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter

Dr Stephen Leah

Sonja Linden, playwright

Professor Yosefa Loshitzky

Dr Michael Loughlin

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP

Daniel Machover, solicitor, Chair Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights

Professor Moshe Machover, LSE

Deborah Maccoby, ICAHD

Jehane Markham

Sonia Markham, counseller

Mike Marqusee, writer

Dr Su Metcalfe, Cambridge U

Baroness Sue Miller, Liberal Democrat chief spokesman in House of Lords on Home Affairs

Moira McDowall

Tom McVitie

Dr Michael Marten, Stirling U

Emeritus Professor Stanley Mitchell

Professor Marjory Mayo, Goldmiths U

Mary Midgley, philosopher and writer

Annie Mitchell, Clinical Psychologist, Plymouth U

Peter Quentin Morgan

Piers Mostyn, barrister

Kaveh Moussavi, Oxford U

Professor Martha Mundy, LSE

Rob Murthwaite, lecturer in law

Ali Nasralla

Ann Nazareth

Mary Nazzal-Batayneh

Diana Neslen

Ephraim Nimni, Queens U Belfast

Ken O’Keefe, Aloha Palestine

Declan Owens, Haldane Society

Susie Orbach, psychotherapist

Professor David Pegg, York U

Professor Renos Papadopoulos, Essex U

John Page

Gail Parfitt -Women for peace

Sarah Perrigo Bradford U

Dr Terry Phillips

Liz Philipson, conflict analyst

Margo Picken

John Pilger, writer

Veronica Planton

Polly Pollock

Peter Poore

Dr Janet Powney

Alison Prager, ICAHD

Patricia Price-Tomes

Annabelle Purdi

Professor Dee Reynolds, Manchester U

Ripon Ray

Dr Terry Robbins

Dr Brian Robinson

M. Robinson

Dr Paul Robinson, psychiatrist

Ernest Rodker, designer

Professor Margaret Rogers, Surrey U

Emerita Professor Hilary Rose, Bradford U

Professor Jacqueline Rose

Simon Rose

Emeritus Professor Steven Rose, Open U

Professor Barbara Rosenbaum, UCL

Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, LSE

Leon Rosselson, musician

Profcssor Myriam Salama-Carr, Bradford U

Professor Donald Sassoon, Queen Mary, London

Colin Salmon, actor

Dr Gabriela Saldanha, Birmingham U

Professor Andrew Samuels, psychoanalyst

Sadat Sayeed, barrister

Dr Amanda Sackur,London Metropolitan U

Sarah Scampton

The Right Reverend Michael Scott-Joynt, Bishop of Winchester

Professor Richard Seaford, Exeter U

Professor Lynne Segal, Birkbeck Coll.

Professor David Seddon, UEA

Satish Sekar, writer

Professor Richard Sennett, LSE

Professor Avi Shlaim, Oxford U

Rt Hon. Clare Short MP

Professor David Slater, Loughborough U

Emeritus Professor Neil Smith UCL

Roger Smith, Director Justice

Ahdaf Soueif, writer

Hugh Southey, barrister

Dr Phyllis Starkey MP

Richard Stainton

Mark Steel, comedian

Heather Stroud

Dr Derek Summerfield

Dr Marcelo Svirsky, Cardiff U

Professor Alan Thomas Swansea U

Rebecca Thorn, musician

Baroness Jenny Tonge

Professor Peter Townsend, LSE

Professor Jules Townshend, Manchester Met U

Paul Troop, barrister

Mandy Turner, Bradford U

Lisa Thorne, clinical psychologist

Leslie Thomas, barrister

Marc Vallee, photojournalist

Dr Charles Ward (medicine)

Greg Wilkinson

Christopher Williams, barrister

Dr Jeni Williams, Trinity College, Carmarthen

Elizabeth Woodcraft, barrister

Dr David Worth

Professor Brian Wynne, Lancaster U

Dr Monica Wusteman, York U

Dr Gill Yudkin

Professor Nira Yuval-Davis, UEL

Roger van Zwanenburg, publisher

(218)

Internationals

Hans von Sponeck, former UN Coordinator for Iraq

Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament

Israelis

Dr Deulle Luski Aim, Tel Aviv U

Yafit Gamila Biso, Olive tree movement

Dr Uri Davis

Dr Rachel Giora

Neta Golan

Anat Matar, Tel-Aviv U

Rotem Mor

Rayna Moss

Dorothy Naor

Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Sakharov Prize 2001

Vlad Rivlin

Att. Lea Tsemel

Michael Warschawski

Dr David Wesley

Elana Wesley

Also

3 from Australia

1 Austria

2 Belgium

2 Canada

1 Croatia

1 Denmark

3 France

4 Germany

1 Ireland

1 Italy

2 Malta

1 Sweden

21 US (including Noam Chomsky)

and 15 unidentified location