The following paid advertisement was signed by 300 Jews in Britain and placed in The London Times on July 7:

WHAT IS ISRAEL DOING? A CALL BY JEWS IN BRITAIN
WE WATCH WITH HORROR the collective punishment of the people of Gaza. Everything reasonable must be done to secure Corporal Gilad Shalit's safe release but nothing Israel is doing contributes to that aim. Instead, it is using its enormously superior military might to terrorise an entire people.

From Israel's largest daily, Yediot Aharanot, July 5:

Look who's been kidnapped!
Hundreds of Palestinian 'suspects' have been kidnapped from their homes and will never stand trial
by Arik Diamant

Israeli tanks and troops have entered southern Gaza after warplanes attacked three bridges and knocked out electricity to the coastal strip—in response to the capture of a young Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants. (AP, June 28) But mainstream reports are missing some vital context. A letter printed in the Toronto Globe and Mail, June 27:

From Israel's largest newspaper, Yediot Aharanot:

Refuseniks call on soldiers to refuse striking Gaza
June 23
by Yossi Yehoshua

The Presbyterian church is currently meeting in Birmingham, AL, to decide the fate of its initiative to divest its holdings in companies directly involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. The following was received via e-mail:

Open Letter to the Presbyterian Church
Jews Against the Occupation, 14 June 2006

We are writing to you as deeply committed Jews to ask the Presbyterian Church of the United States to honor its commitment to doing justice and seeking peace, and, in so doing, to act as a true friend to our own people. We hope and pray that you will continue to disavow Christian Zionism, to condemn Israel's continuing effort to extend and consolidate its hold on Palestinian land and water in the Occupied West Bank, and to begin selective divestment of holdings in multinational corporations enabling those efforts. These decisions represented an important step forward for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine.

While Human Rights Watch has revealed yet more evidence showing the Israeli army's culpability in shelling an innocent family of Palestinian bathers in Gaza, Israel still officially denies its responsibility. An Israeli parliamentarian is calling for an outside investigation.

Received by email:

The Congress of South African Trade Unions issues statement supporting CUPE resolution

The President, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario, June 6, 2006

Brother Sid Ryan,

On behalf over 1,2 million South African workers organized under the banner of COSATU I greet you in the name of worker internationalism. It is this solidarity, since the formation of the very first union and across space and time, often in the face of harsh repression, that provided vital moral succour and allowed workers to strengthen their resolve against oppression and exploitation.

According to a May 27 CBC news report, the Ontario section of Canada's largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has voted overwhemingly to support a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. There are over 200,000 members in the Ontario division of CUPE. This stands in contrast to the largest US trade union, the AFL-CIO, which campaigned against a proposal for the city of Somerville, MA to divest from Israel bonds.

More from the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA):