Campaign initiated to shame and pressure CRH into divesting from the Israeli Mashav Group

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Sunday August 09, 2009 21:05

by TD - Free Palestine Campaign

"Fully committed to human rights"

CRH, formerly known as Cement Roadstone Holdings, "fully committed to human rights" and supporting "the principles as set out in the articles of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights" http://www.crh.ie/crhcorp/about/employeescode/english_c...e.pdf is deeply complicit in war crimes in the occupied West Bank with the holding company, the Mashav Group - in which CRH has a 25% stake - through Nesher Cement supplying cement for Israel's Apartheid Wall, IOF checkpoints and illegal colonies. Transnational corporations like CRH are required by international law to comply with international rules governing corporate responsibility with respect to human rights and CRH seriously transgresses these.

Kev

Israeli colonies and the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank are illegal under international law. A plethora of UN resolutions and the 2004 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Apartheid Wall have confirmed this. The settlements violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." Article 53 forbids the destruction of property and it is these "grave breaches;" the appropriation and bulldozing of Palestinian dwellings, orchards and olive groves to facilitate the construction of the Wall and colonies that CRH is shamefully complicit in.

As unearthed by the Moriarty Tribunal, between 1987 and 1994, then chairman, Des Traynor and eight of his crony head honchoes ran a private, unlicenced bank from CRH's registered offices to avoid currency exchange controls and personal tax liabilities and the same moral rot is evidenced in the recent acquisition of Israel's second largest building materials company; Hanson Israel through Clal Industries unit Mashav: In addition to its mining activity at Nahal Raba, the Israeli Coalition of Women for Peace reported on the website Who Profits from the Occupation? that Hanson owns two concrete plants in the settlements of Modiin Illit and Atarot, and an asphalt plant south of the Elqana colony (Related Link).

Activists from the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Irish Anti-War Movement, éirígí and the Galway based Free Palestine Campaign mounted a five hour picket of CRH's offices in 42 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin to highlight and shame CRH's complicity in Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity and to encourage companies with more than hypocritical bullshit drooling from the corners of their mouths and websites to imitate the ethical Dutch ASN Bank and divest from CRH.

With due acknowledgement and appreciation to éirígí, what with so many activist groups combining, last Friday's picket was the opening shot of what's shaping up to be a relentless campaign against CRH until such time as it does the decent thing and divests from the Mashav Group. If CRH's hands are dirty from aiding and abetting the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, former PA prime minister, quisling Fatah's, Ahmed Qureia, who partially owns al-Quds Cement is filthier still for selling cement to Israel for the construction of the Wall that's doing so damage to his people.?

Michael

Anton & Jim

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Comments (5 of 5)

Holding CRH to account

by Anne

Mon Aug 10, 2009 13:06

Ireland has the obligation to hold Israel to account for its violations of international law. Like many other European countries it remains silent. That is why civilians put pressure on companies to show respect for international law.
Hanson Israel is mining in occupied Palestine, selling its product to the Israeli market mainly. This is contrary to international law. CRH subsidiary Mashav has bought Hanson Israel, and is now involved in illegal mining in the West Bank. As a transnational company CRH has the duty to respect international law. Selling off Mashav would send a clear message to the public that CRH shows respect for international law. Great that Irish civilians raise their voice and hold CRH to account.

Israeli businessmen running sweatshop in "inhuman conditions" in Jordan

by Paula

Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:53

Besides the treasonous corruption of Ahmed Qureia and the criminal protiteering of CRH, Jordan also has its snout in the greed trough with allowing the Israeli owned Musa Garments sweatshop factory in Irbid, Jordan, to exploit workers in "inhuman conditions" of: "human trafficking, abuse, forced overtime, primitive dorm conditions, imprisonment and forcible deportations of foreign guest workers." (The National Labor Committee, a U.S.-based workers' rights organization). The sweatshop owners Jack Braun and Moshe Cohen from Tel Aviv produce clothes for leading Israeli brands such as Irit, Bonita, Jump and Pashut. According to Haaretz: "The list of complaints is long, including subhuman living conditions such as 4-8 people in a tiny dormitory room, no showers and water for only an hour or two a night. There is no heat in the rooms in the winter, and the bathrooms are filthy. The roofs leak".

This Jordanian facilitation of Israeli criminality is par for the course and small beer in comparison to its facilitation of the US/EU/CIA funded training of Abbas's PA security thugs on its territory - in firing ranges opened by Israeli army officers and in passing out parades attended by Israeli army brass.

To make the obscene circle complete, CRH personnel are reputed to wear, besides Prada, Bonita, Jump and Pashut.

Campaign initiated to shame and pressure CRH

by maverick

Mon Aug 10, 2009 08:44

"....there are also rumours that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's millionaire son is engaged in similar profiteering"

Raymond, we need facts & figures to back up such allegations not "rumours". you detract from your main argument.

is all of the wall actually a wall? no, it is not. that is just a rumour also. let's be truthful about all aspects of this sad situation.

CRH supports Israeli Apartheid

by Raymond - IFPAL

Mon Aug 10, 2009 08:21

There's nothing much to be added to this comprehensive and accurate denunciation of CRH's longstanding collaboration with Israeli apartheid (I particularly like "hypocritical bullshit drooling from the corners of their mouths and websites..."!).

The author mentions the July 2004 ruling of the International Court of Justice. This didn't just declare Israel's Apartheid Wall to be illegal, but also demanded that "third states" (e.g. Ireland and its EU "partners" in crime) should do everything in their power to prevent Israel's ongoing construction of that Wall (nearing completion 5 years later!), and nothing to assist that construction.

Instead, the EU has continued to offer Israel massive trading privileges as though it had perfectly clean hands. Furthermore, isn't there a case to be made for the Irish government to step in and stop CRH's involvement in building the Wall and the illegal colonies and (Jews only) settlement roads, in view of the ICJ's requirements? We know this won't happen, of course, and given this government's history of intimate links with the building industry we may be able to surmise why it won't happen...

While former PA "prime minister" Ahmed Qureia is indeed known to have profited from Israel's construction of the Wall, there are also rumours that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's millionaire son is engaged in similar profiteering.

Link to video of CRH picket and 3 more photos

by TD - FPC

Sun Aug 09, 2009 21:13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiop5Tpkkfg

Shahid