Stop the Wall: G4S, Allianz, and the global BDS movement

G4S, Allianz, and the global BDS movement

We are therefore launching a new campaign targeting the German insurance company Today in Palestine the struggle of the people is at a crucial stage. More than ever it is clear to all that Israel leaves us no other alternative than a life in impoverished prisons under constant control and repression by military and security forces. Urgent action is needed.

The recent announcement by Israeli ‘defense’ minister Ehud Barack that Israel should plan for ‘unilateral withdrawal’ accompanied with Israeli announcements last year that Israel intents to ‘relocate’ Palestinian population from area C is an open announcement of an existing ethnic cleansing plan that in these years is being implemented.

On the ground people face increasing home demolitions, land confiscation, movement restrictions, arrests and repression. Protests such as the continued mobilization in support of the hunger strike of the Palestinian prisoners and the recent protests against the invitation of Israeli war criminal Shaul Mofaz have shown how volatile the situation on the ground is. No walls will ever contain the rising discontent and anger of the Palestinian people in front of the evident lack of vision of the current Palestinian leadership.

Today, on July 9, the anniversary of the decision of the International Court of Justice on the illegality of the Wall and of the launching of the BDS call, it is time to call once again upon the people of the world so stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in this decisive time and to strengthen their campaigns.

On 9th July 2004, the International Criminal Court (ICJ) ruled that Israel's Apartheid Wall, constructed in Occupied East Jerusalem and the Occupied West Bank, was illegal under international law. As part of its ruling, the ICJ stated that:

“All States are under an obligation not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction.”

One year after this landmark ruling confirming the illegality of Israel's Apartheid Wall in 2005, governments around the world and the United Nations had once again proven their lack of political will to hold Israel accountable and at the very least follow through on their own obligations. As a response to ongoing Israeli occupation, colonialism and apartheid and this renewed failure, a broad coalition of Palestinian civil society organisations issued a call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with its international legal obligations. The three demands of the BDS campaign are: 1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall 2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 1943.

On the 8th anniversary of the ICJ's ruling, and on the 7th anniversary of the call for BDS and the first anniversary of the call for an immediate and comprehensive military embargo again Israel, we are intensifying our efforts to target those companies that profit from Israel's crimes, in particular the construction of the Apartheid Wall and its war economy.

Allianz as the principle institutional shareholder in the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. Elbit Systems reaps huge profits from the construction of the Wall through its contracts for monitoring systems along the Walls and the connected checkpoint system. Elbit further produces Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), or drones, the use of which has resulted in many deaths particularly in Gaza. They also produce parts for the Israeli military's Merkava tank, one of the most infamous symbols of Israeli occupation. Allianz is as well a one of the investors in the British-Danish private security firm G4S, who provide security equipment and prisoner transportation services to the Israeli military, police and prison services, in violation of Articles 49 and 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Following the call of the BNC and Palestinian human rights organizations for a BDS campaign against G4S on Prisoners Day4, Stop the Wall issues today a special documentation regarding G4S’s involvement in Brazil and its aspirations of profits in the upcoming Olympics and World Cup held in the country in 2014 and 2016.

It is of vital importance that the international BDS movement targets these companies, as they are amongst the most globally influential and geographically widespread companies, and are key profiteers from Israel's occupation, apartheid and colonialism. Please see the following links for resources on both G4S and Allianz, and suggestions for launching or intensifying campaign against both companies, with the aim of forcing their complete severing of all ties with Israel.

No Allianz with Israeli Apartheid

Allianz is a German multinational financial services company head-quartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.

Its “Allianz Global Investors” division ranks as a top-five global active investment manager, having €1,443 billion of assets under management (AuM), of which €1,131 billion are third-party assets (as of 2010-09-30), with specialized asset managers such as PIMCO (Bond fund), RCM (Equity fund), Degi (Real estate fund), etc.

As mentioned above Allianz is the major instiutional shareholder in Israeli arms company Elbit, who build drones and supply various technologies used on the wall. Allianz also has around $37m invested in the Security company G4S (see below).

To view or download the Allianz Campaign Guide click here.

To view the Allianz Campaign Facebook page click here.

G4S, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the emergence of G4S in Brazil

G4S is the world’s largest security firm and, with almost 700,000 employees, the third largest pri-vate sector employer. A British-Danish company headquartered in the UK, the firm has operations in more than 125 countries providing security services to government facilities, airport security, custodial and prison services, as well as land mine clearance and consultancy services. Due mainly to a number of mergers in the last decade, the size, reach and activities of G4S are of increasing concern as it becomes apparent that the company is operating as a privatised police force in many countries, handling many jobs that one would usually suppose were in the remit of the regular, civilian police.

G4S’s rise is indicative of two of the most worrying aspects of neoliberal capitalism and Israeli apartheid; the ideology of “security” and the increasing privatisation of what have been traditionally state run sectors. Security, in this context, does not imply security for everyone, but rather, when one looks at the major clients of G4S Security (banks, governments, corporations etc) it becomes evident that when G4S says it is “Securing your World”, as the company slogan goes, it is referring to a world of exploitation, repression, occupation and racism. Those without the money and the power are evidently seen either as not worthy of security, or as the threats which G4S’s clients require to be secured against...read on

© Scoop Media