The reality in Gaza, even according to the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has become “worse than hell on earth.” Jewish Voice for Peace (US) calls this phase in Israel’s ongoing genocide “Israel’s final solution for Palestinians in Gaza.” Still, far too many governments, institutions and corporations fall dangerously short of meeting their legal obligations under international law, including the Genocide Convention and the Apartheid Convention.
We, signatories of this letter, demand that our (local) governments and institutions comply with their legal obligations and not grant any contracts to corporations implicated in Israel’s gross violations of international law, as well as its war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide against the Palestinian people.
We join the 5-year-old global BDS campaign pressuring the Basque company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) to end its role as a significant corporate enabler of Israel’s illegal military occupation of Palestinian territory and its apartheid regime. It's time for CAF to get off Israel’s apartheid train.
CAF is operating and expanding the Jerusalem Light Rail’s (JLR) “Red Line” and building the new “Green Line,” providing rolling stock and technical services. Both lines connect illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory with West Jerusalem.
As such, the JLR is part of Israel’s illegal de jure annexation of occupied East Jerusalem, including its illegal colonial settlements. These settlements entail the transfer of Israeli civilians into occupied territory and the forcible displacement of Indigenous Palestinians from the occupied city, constituting a war crime under international law.
Building on its 2004 ruling against Israel’s illegal wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024 determined that Israel is guilty of apartheid and its military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is entirely illegal. The ICJ concluded that Israel must completely end its military occupation and affirmed beyond doubt the legal obligation for all States to end complicity in Israel’s illegal occupation and gross violations of human rights, and to act to ensure respect for international law.
Later in September 2024, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution, with an overwhelming majority, adopting the July 2024 ICJ Advisory Opinion and called, for the first time in 42 years, to impose sanctions on Israel and for ending Israel’s occupation by September 2025.
In response to the ICJ ruling, dozens of UN human rights experts reminded all states that they were legally obliged to, inter alia:
“Impose sanctions, including asset freezes, on Israeli individuals, entities including businesses, corporations and financial institutions, involved in the unlawful occupation and apartheid regime as well as on any foreign or domestic entities and individuals subject to their jurisdiction that supply goods and services that may aid, assist or enable occupation and apartheid.”
Companies such as CAF and their board of directors and executives should know that they will lose contracts worldwide and face potential criminal liability for their complicity in atrocity crimes.
Signatories:
Trade unions and institutions:
- Jeunes FGTB (Belgium)
- EHU Palestina (University of the Basque Country) (Spanish state)
- ESK SINDIKATUA (Spanish state)
- STEILAS sindikatua (Spanish state)
Political parties:
Contigo Navarra - Zurekin Nafarroa (Spanish state)
Coalitions and platforms:
- Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Australia)
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Britain)
- BDS France (France)
- Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Ireland)
- BDS Italia (Italy)
- Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (New Zealand)
- ACTE - Assemblea Catalana per la Transiciò Ecosocial (Spanish state).
- Berri-Otxoak (Plataforma Contra la Exclusión Social y Por los derechos Sociales) (Spanish state)
- Coalició Prou Complicitat amb Israel (Spanish state).
- Kakitzat (Koordinadoraka Antimilitarista) (Spanish state).
- Red Solidaria contra la Ocupación de Palestina (RESCOP) (Spanish state).
- Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) (US)
- Jewish Voice for Peace (US)
- Pittsburgh BDS Coalition (US)
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (US)
Grassroots groups and organisations:
- Solidarity Albania (Albania)
- Causa Palestina Necochea Quequén (Argentina)
- Women in Black Vienna (Austria)
- Association belgo-palestinienne (ABP) (Belgium)
- BDS Bruxelles (Belgium)
- Intal Globalize Solidarity (Belgium)
- Carmarthenshire PSC - YCP Sir Gâr (Britain)
- Narberth Gaza Support Group (Britain)
- Newport Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Britain)
- RCT Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Britain)
- Solidarity with Palestine Pembrokeshire (Britain)
- Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) (Canada)
- BDS Colombia (Colombia)
- Tadamun Antimili (Colombia)
- COLIBRI. (Grupo Colombo-Argentino)
- BDS Cyprus (Cyprus)
- Asociación Ecuatoriana de Amistad con el Pueblo Saharaui (AEAPS) (Ecuador)
- Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos "Segundo Montes Mozo SJ" (CSMM) (Ecuador)
- Let’s Talk about Palestine Europe (Europe)
- BDS Finland (Finland)
- BDS Berlin (Germany)
- BDS Greece (Greece)
- BDS Rome (Italy)
- Coordinamento Campagna BDS Bologna (Italy)
- ODV Salaam Ragazzi dell'Olivo comitato di Trieste (Italy)
- Let’s Talk Palestine Latin America (Latin America)
- BDS Malaysia (Malaysia)
- Ġustizzja ghall-Palestina (Malta)
- DocP - BDS Nederland (Netherlands)
- BDS Norway (Norway)
- Comité de Solidariedade com a Palestina (Portugal)
- MPPM Movimento pelos Direitos do Povo Palestino e pela Paz no Médio Oriente (Portugal)
- Gibanje za pravice Palestincev (Slovenia)
- Argi gorriak (Spanish state)
- Askapena - Euskal Herriko erakunde internazionalista (Spanish state)
- Asoc.Amigos y Amigas de la RASD de Álava (Spanish state)
- Asociación Colectiva de mujeres (Spanish state)
- BDS Granada (Spanish state)
- Bilbo Palestina Herri Ekimena (Spanish state)
- Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe (Spanish state)
- Comitè en solidaritat amb Palestina de Lleida (Spanish state)
- Donostia-Palestina (Spanish state)
- Feministalde (EH, Spanish state)
- Freytter Elkartea (Spanish state)
- Healthworkers for Palestine Spain (Spanish state)
- Iniciativa por Palestina en Zaragoza (Spanish state)
- Irun Palestinarekin Elkartasun taldea (Spanish state)
- Itzubaltzeta-romo Palestina Herri Ekimena (Spanish state)
- Komite Internazionalistak Euskal Herria (Spanish state)
- KULTURATIK basque artists with Palestine (Spanish state)
- L'Hospitalet amb Palestina (Spanish state)
- Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de los Pueblos (Spanish state)
- Orereta Palestina (Spanish state)
- Palestine Solidarity Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
- Palestina Libre Región de Murcia (Spanish state)
- Paz con Dignidad (EH, Spanish state)
- Red Universitaria por Palestina RUXP
- Urko-Punta ONG (Spanish state)
- XR Barcelona (Spanish state)
- Zarautz Palestina herri ekimena (Spanish state)
- Asoc. Pro Derechos Humanos Andalucía - APDHA (Spanish state)
- SODePAZ (Spanish state)
- Junts Associació Catalana de Jueus i Palestins (Spanish state)
- Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) (US)
- Entertainment Labor for Palestine (US)
- Let’s Talk about Palestine US (US)
- Comité de Solidaridad con Palestina - Perú (Peru)