++ CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB SUPPORT FOR APARTHEID ISRAEL

1 March 2006

Innovative Minds and the Islamic Human Rights Commission are calling on campaigners to contact Arsenal Football Club and protest their decision to signed a sponsorship deal to promote Israel as a tourist destination.

Palestinian children play football in fear of israeli snipers
who may at any time decide to "have some fun" and target them
from from inside the fortified Israeli settlement built illegally on their land.

"The Israeli army claimed that the soldiers shot dead 11 year old Khalil in self-defense. However, a report issued by the Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, denies the Israeli army’s claims and accuses it of lying. Its investigation confirms that the 11 year old victim was playing football with his friends when he was fatally shot. The report further proves that he did not pose any threat to the Israeli soldiers’ lives, who were positioned in a watchtower a kilometer away..." [5]

BACKGROUND: Arsenal Football Club has just signed (26th February) a sponsorship deal to promote Israel as a tourist destination.

The £350,000 agreement makes Israel Arsenal's "official and exclusive travel destination." Israel will be featured on digital perimeter boards and 450 high-definition LCD screens at the stadium on game days.[1] The tourism ministry will also have access to the club's official website Arsenal.com, database and magazine to promote Israel as a holiday destination [2]

The televised ads will reach audiences of up to 700 million in an estimated 198 countries. The Israeli Tourism Ministry will also receive intellectual property rights, the use of the team logo and the right to use photos of the team and its players in ads. For an additional fee, Arsenal players will also appear in the ads.[3]

The deal doesn't stop with promoting Israel but actually grants Israel a physical presence in the stadium. The Israeli Tourism Ministry can use the stadium's banquet hall twice a year and can organize an exhibition at the end of the playing season.[3] The stadium will also feature permanent sales tables for t-shirts.[4]

The two-year sponsorship deal begins at the start of next football season in six months' time.

Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson and Arsenal's Keith Edelman
at a press conference at the David Intercontinental hotel in Tel Aviv

With the world boycotting Israel as a tourist destination Israeli tourism minister Abraham Hirchson admitted employing Ernst & Young financial advisers to help develop a new strategy to entice people to Israel. He estimated that the sponsorship deal will bring in an additional 2 million tourist to Israel annually.[3]

Arsenal's managing director, Keith Edelman at a press conference in Israel explained how Arsenal could help sell apartheid Israel: "We are the largest club in London and have 30 million fans around the world. We are in the forefront of the anti-racism campaign in England and have an excellent brand that can promote any product... we will assist Israel become a more popular destination". He also promised "when we find the time, club representatives and players will come to visit Israel,".[3]

A grieving father Hussein Maqanen holds a poster of his two sons killed by the Israelis.
Ibrahim was aged 14, and Adel was aged 17. Adel was killed whilst playing football.
Israeli snipers targeted him from inside a military bunker on a hill overlooking
the patch of dirt which was his football field near Khan Younis.[5]

The Jerusalem Post has hinted that Arsenal's chief shareholder, Danny Fiszman, vice chairman David Dein and managing director Edelman have used their Jewish backgrounds to steer the club towards Israeli causes including setting up football academies in Israel [3] at a time when when Palestinian children are routinely targeted by israeli snipers whilst they play football.[5]

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed this, quoting Uzi Gafni, a director of the Israeli Tourism ministry on the Arsenal deal as saying "I knew I needed someone with ties to Judaism, Edelman may not go to synagogue every Friday, but there are warm Jews at Arsenal who wanted to give something to Israel.".[6]

16 year old Jaser recovering after being shot
with an Israeli M-16 machine gun whilst playing football.
The bullet left an 8 cm hole in Jaser's liver.[5]

[1] Israel joins Emirates on Arsenal's books
John Plunkett, Monday February 27, 2006
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,1718914,00.html?gusrc=rss

[2] Arsenal signs two-year stadium ad deal with Israel tourism authority
by Daniel Farey-Jones Brand Republic 27 Feb 2006
http://www.brandrepublic.co.uk/login/index.cfm?fuseaction=
Login&resource=BR_News&articleType=news&article=543440

[3] Israel scores Arsenal sponsorship, Feb. 27, 2006 4:28 | Updated Feb. 27, 2006 19:30
By FRANKIE SACHS, Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395496098&pagename=
JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[4] Israel seeking goal with Arsenal, 26 February 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4753546.stm

[5] A few example of Palestinian children being shot dead by the Israeli army whilst playing football:

• "Among the latest victims of apparently indiscriminate shooting were three teenagers and an eight-year-old, Yousef Abu Jaza, hit in the knee when soldiers shot at a group of children playing football in Khan Yunis."
  'I can't imagine anyone who considers himself a human being can do this'
  Chris McGreal, Monday July 28, 2003. The Guardian

• B’Tselem Exposes Israeli Army Lies - Its investigation confirms that the 11 year old victim was playing football with his friends when he was fatally shot, 14 November 2001
  http://www.pna.gov.ps/subject_details2.asp?DocId=562

• Killing of three Gaza youths puts ceasefire under strain - Teenagers playing football shot in border zone.
  Chris McGreal in Rafah, Monday April 11, 2005. The Guardian
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1456766,00.html

• Israeli forces shoot Palestinian boy dead as he plays football
  By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem, 02 July 2004. The Independent, UK
  http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=537262

• Loving football to death, by I. Sulaiman
  http://electronicintifada.net/features/articles/20010702isulaiman.html
  * Several of the photos used in this feature were taken by I. Sulaiman, a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza.

[6]'I knew I needed someone with ties to Judaism,'February 28, 2006, Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/687490.html

Poster of 11 year old Ali who was shot dead by an israeli army sniper
on 18 June 2001. He bled to death on the football field
where we was playing football with his friends when the sniper struck. [5]

For more info pls visit:http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-arsenal.html

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