From the Beaver, newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union. 22 March 2011
By Oliver Wiseman
After a term-long campaign by the LSE Students’ Union Palestine Society, water coolers provided by Eden Springs UK will be a rarer sight on campus next term.
Speaking to the Beaver, Palestine Society president Zac Sammour said he was
“delighted with the pace and success of the campaign. I believe the success of this campaign demonstrates the deep commitment of LSE staff and students to ethical investment and global justice.”
Over the course of the Lent Term all but one of the academic departments believed to be using Eden Water responded to the Palestine Society’s demands and committed in writing to no longer use water supplied by the company.
Eden Springs is part of Mey Eden, an Israeli company that operates sources and plants in the Golan Heights, Syrian land occupied by Israel since 1967. The extension of Israeli law and administration throughout the territory has been condemned by the United Nations Security Council and widely denounced in the International Community.
Though the LSE has no central contract with Eden Springs, the company appears on a list of suppliers the London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC) offers to individual departments at the School. The Palestine Society’s campaign began in January when members of the society learnt that a number of departments at the School used water supplied by Eden Springs.
A spokesperson for the School told the Beaver in January that the LUPC list offers a choice between six suppliers. The spokesperson also noted that, while Eden Springs does operate in the Golan Heights, the water supplied to departments at the LSE originate from West Hyde, Herefordshire.
Sammour said though he was “pleased” about the prospect of no Eden Springs water on campus, the Palestine Society would also lobby the School to remove the company from the list of suppliers on offer to departments.
The campaign consisted in a number of events including the unfurling of a banner on the steps of St Clement’s Building by campaigners dressed as Israeli soldiers with over-sized guns and bottles filled with fake blood and labelled “Eden Water”. Members of the Palestine Society also garnered signatures for a petition on Houghton Street and contacted the heads of the departments they believed to be using the services of Eden Springs.
LSE Students’ Union Education Officer, Ashok Kumar said,
“This is a monumental victory for human rights because it understands, as with South Africa, the direct linkages between profiteering companies and a State that violates international law. Indeed, this is the first step in a long journey for the LSE.”
Kumar noted this was his personal opinion.
Aimee Riese, an LSE Students’ Union Israel Society committee member, criticised the campaign in a statement sent to the Beaver that described some campaigning tactics as “inappropriate”.
A statement released by the Palestine Society said,
“The development is being hailed as a landmark victory for the wider Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) against Israeli companies, a campaign aimed at undermining the structural mechanisms that make the illegal Israeli Occupation possible.”
“The Israel Society believes in building bridges not boycotts”, said the Israel Society’s statement, “We are against the BDS campaign which opposes the internationally accepted consensus to a two-state solution for peace in the region.
“BDS is an ineffective and misdirected campaign which shows limited understanding of the real issues in the region and does not work towards promoting peace,” said Riese, “ LSE students, when asked to vote on a BDS-advocated academic boycott of Israel at a recent debate, rejected it.”
The Israel Society’s statement also criticised Kumar’s support for the campaign, claiming he had no mandate to do so.
“The prioritisation of this campaign by our Education Officer is strange”, said the statement, “Given that the Sabbatical Officers wade into complex international issues without a mandate from students, we invite them to publicly endorse the Israel Society’s campaign for a ‘Two State Solution’ that provides a lasting and secure peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.”
Dear oh dear! What a bunch of misinformed fools you are………
Sanctions against the Apartheid government actually boosted the econonmy. Apartheid was devised to seperate indigineous African tribes, a byproduct of which was the seperation of the White population. Enough of the history lesson, now some facts:
Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. There is no such thing as Palestine or Palestinians. There are,however, displaced Jordanians. Problem is, Jordan doesn’t want Judea or Samaria or East Jerusalem. What about the displaced Israeli’s from the wars over the years? What about the murder of innocent Israeli’s? What about the missiles? The suicide bombings?
Come out and tell the truth:You want Israel wiped off the face of the earth. Well get this:It isn’t going to happen!
ISRAEL LIVES:GET USED TO IT!