Re: Israel

We're going after the banks   Urgent: Israel is now bombing Lebanon and has killed over 500 people, including dozens of children. More than ever, we must keep up the pressure – [Add your name and share this everywhere –]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [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 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. [ Sign the petitionÂ]( {NAME}, 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: [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. [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. [ Sign the petitionÂ]( Thanks for all that you do, Eoin and the team at Ekō More information: [Israel bombs Lebanon updates: Hezbollah responds as Israeli raids kill 569]( Jazeera 24 September 2024  [Top UN court says Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal]( 19 July 2024 [The companies arming Israel and their financiers]( PAX 14 June 2024  [States and companies must end arms transfers to Israel immediately or risk responsibility for human rights violations: UN experts]( UN OHCHR 20 June 2024  [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  [Citibank and Palestinians: A Cruel Status Quo]( Banking On Solidarity 08 July 2024  ['High risk' of famine in Gaza persists, new UN-backed report says]( BBC 25 June 2024 [At least 40 killed in Israeli strike on Khan Younis humanitarian zone, Gaza officials say]( 24 10 Sept 2024     --------------------------------------------------------------- Ekō is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. 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