[ [link removed] ]Photo of Gazal Bakr, a Palestinian child from Gaza, with one amputated
leg, standing with crutches, in the hallway of the apartment she now lives
in.

It's all illegal. The International Court of Justice in The Hague just
confirmed that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory -- including
Gaza -- breaks the law. Netanyahu says he’d “fight with fingernails” — but
the truth is that he depends on arms pouring in from weapons
manufacturers, which depend on financing from our banks.

Tell the banks to stop.


[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 

   
John,

Israel's occupation of Palestinian land is illegal, the International
Court of Justice has confirmed.

The Advisory Opinion of the UN's highest court makes clear that helping to
maintain the occupation now would be illegal too. But that's exactly what
our banks and pension funds are doing when they help finance Israel's arms
supplies.

Even with lavish government support, Western arms manufacturers couldn’t
last a day without help from financial institutions.

We know that some financiers are seriously considering their options.
Norway’s biggest private pension fund cut ties to Caterpillar for its role
with Israel’s army, even before the court's opinion was announced. It's
time that they all took action to cut Netanyahu’s weapons supply and stop
aiding and abetting Israel's illegal occupation:

[ [link removed] ]Banks, insurers and pension funds: stop doing business with companies
supplying arms to Israel

In Europe alone, 20 banks have provided 36.1 billion EUR in loans and
underwritings to Israel’s biggest international arms suppliers in
2019-2023. A study published in June identified France’s BNP Paribas as
the biggest lender to Israel’s top arms suppliers (4.7 billion EUR),
followed by Crédit Agricole, Deutsche Bank, and Barclays.

Pension funds and insurers are also named in the NGO report and by UN
experts who warned that if they fail to respond now, financial
institutions linked to Israel’s arms suppliers risk becoming complicit in
war crimes.

Big US and Canadian banks are just as bad. New York’s Citigroup, for
example, led a consortium of banks that helped the Israeli government buy
its F35 jets. The bank has also invested billions more in Israel’s arms
suppliers since October 2023. But they can also divest, and help end this
horror.

Some may say that governments should decide this sort of thing, and
bankers should just stick to their jobs and make money. Indeed, our
politicians have a lot to answer for, and some of them may end up behind
bars some day for their part. But bankers are people too, and with enough
public pressure, they can be moved to use their power for good.

[ [link removed] ]Tell the bankers: don’t do business with companies supplying arms to
Israel

More than 1,000 Palestinian children underwent leg amputations between
October and November 2023 alone, according to UNICEF. The numbers today
would be higher still, only Israeli bombs have decimated what’s left of
Gaza’s hospitals and roads.

It looks like the nightmare will never end, and cutting Israel’s arms
supplies will take forever. But as Nelson Mandela said: It always seems
impossible until it's done.

Let’s help bring more pressure to bear on the banks, insurers and pension
funds today – whatever it takes to stop the bombs.



[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 



Thanks for all that you do,
Eoin and the team at Ekō


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Top UN court says Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is
illegal
Reuters 19 July 2024

[ [link removed] ]The companies arming Israel and their financiers
PAX 14 June 2024
 
[ [link removed] ]States and companies must end arms transfers to Israel immediately or
risk responsibility for human rights violations: UN experts
UN OHCHR 20 June 2024
 
[ [link removed] ]Gaza’s Missing Children: Over 20,000 Children Estimated To Be Lost,
Disappeared, Detained, Buried Under the Rubble or in Mass Graves
Save The Children 24 June 2024
 
[ [link removed] ]Citibank and Palestinians: A Cruel Status Quo
Banking On Solidarity 08 July 2024
 
[ [link removed] ]'High risk' of famine in Gaza persists, new UN-backed report says
BBC 25 June 2024

 

 

Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]