LONDON - August 19 - The Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomes Amnesty International (USA)'s decision to withdraw its plans to administer funds from a concert to be performed in Tel Aviv by Leonard Cohen.

Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has been asked to heed the Palestinian call for a cultural boycott of Israel and avoid complicity with Israel's violations of international law by cancelling his planned September concert in Israel. Pressure has grown internationally on performers, particularly following Israel's war crimes in Gaza, to refuse to perform in Israel whilst it is violating international law and continuing its illegal occupation.

Betty Hunter, General Secretary of PSC, said: ‘The Palestinians have need of principled international friends and Amnesty has often filled that role.

The PSC were therefore shocked to hear about the proposed involvement of Amnesty in disbursing the profits of Leonard Cohen's concert to organisations such as the Peres Center for Peace whose function is to normalise the illegal occupation.

 ‘The Palestinians have asked us internationally to put pressure on Israel to abide by international law. We are therefore very pleased that Amnesty has taken this principled decision.'

PSC would like to thank our members, and supporters of Palestinian rights worldwide, who have written and emailed Amnesty to raise their concerns.

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An open letter to Amnesty signed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the Palestinian Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, (PACBI), Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, American Jews for a Just Peace (US), Boycott from Within (Israel), British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Jews Against the Occupation-NYC, New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel (NYCBI), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (UK), US Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel. Organizations pointed out, ‘Amnesty International USA will serve as sponsor of a new fund that will whitewash the money raised at Cohen's concert in Israel by using it to finance programs for "peace."'

Amnesty's press release: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/025/2009/en/d8c1fa4a-6e62-4ef4-bda1-327d9dba5f23/mde150252009en.html

For more information please contact the PSC.