Success! Veolia have pulled out of the rail project linking Israel with with illegal settlements:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1091186.html

For information about what they were doing see below:

Veolia are sponsors of the Leith Festival 2009 and have also been given a 3 year waste treatment contract with Scottish Water.

Here’s the problem:

French multinational company Veolia is complicit in the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

Veolia is a leading partner in the CityPass consortium, contracted to build a light rail tramway system linking west Jerusalem to illegal  settlements in  the occupied territories in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.  With its involvement in this project, the company is directly implicated in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and is playing a key role in Israel’s attempt to make its annexation of the territory of east Jerusalem irreversible.  This construction project violates Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention.

The first  train line will open in 2010.  With its involvement in this project, the company is playing a key role in Israel’s attempt to make its annexation of the Palestinian territory of east Jerusalem irreversible.  As a willing agent of these policies, Veolia is undermining any chance of a just peace for the Palestinian people.

In November 2006, ASN, a Dutch bank, broke off financial relations with Veolia on account of the light rail contract saying

“We believe that Veolia’s involvement in the light rail project is not in accordance with the UN’s demand to stop all support for Israel’s settlement activities, and is therefore not in line with ASN Bank’s social criteria.  Due to the direct nature of Veolia’s involvement (through a 5 % stake in the consortium and as future operator) we are of the opinion that Veolia’s activities in Jerusalem are in conflict with UN Resolutions.  Therefore on this current information Veolia will be removed from our investment universe.”

Scarily Veolia also has a three year contract in  water Waste management with Edinburgh Council. However WE CAN CHANGE this just look below;

” West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomes the decision made by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council not to consider further Veolia’s bid for the ‘Waste Improvement Plan’ contract, a contract worth £1 billion over 20 years.”

If they can do it , so can we.

Veolia’s negligence was also responsible for pumping 120 million litres of raw sewage into the Firth of Forth in April 2007.
Is this the kind of company the Leith Festival wants to be associated with?
Public Pressure CAN make a difference.

Please take the time to email the festival with your complaint at:
office@leithfestival.com

Also contact Scottish Water to register a complaint by emailing:

customer.service@scottishwater.co.uk

http://www.pacbi.org/boycott_news_more.php?id=A810_0_1_0_M

http://apjp.org/dutch-bank-agrees-jerusalem-tr/ Dutch bank agrees: Jerusalem tramway is illegal

Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 6 June 2008

http://www.connex.co.il/ (Veolia’s website in Israel but in Hebrew!)

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9908.shtml

http://www.diakonia.se/sa/node.asp?node=2807 (sweedish company divests from Veolia)

http://www.labournet.net/world/0608/tram1.html (Irish Union refuses to train Israeli tram drivers)

LEITH FESTIVAL WEBSITE:

http://www.leithfestival.com/index.php?sn=su&ssn=sp&id=59