Activities

• The AFPS states that its objective is to change French policy so that France will apply pressure and sanctions against the Israel.
• Uses Holocaust rhetoric, referring to the Gaza Strip as an “Extermination Camp” due to the “criminal Israeli government – and all those who support it…the small ‘angels of death’ who are sheltered there to continue their experiments and envision the ‘final solution.’”
• Accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, and calls for it to “Stop hunting Palestinian children!”
• AFPS refers to the security barrier as the “apartheid” wall.
• According to AFPS, Israeli policies “institutionalize a military and colonial domination over the Palestinian people in order to exploit them and make them disappear as a people, by decomposing it, transferring its population and/or forcing it to exile. This matches the notion of ‘sociocide.’”
• AFPS legitimizes the use of armed struggle as a means for Palestinian liberation and states that Israel “deploys a state terrorism in the name of preventive war.”

BDS

• Active in BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions) campaigns against Israel. AFPS’ organizational report calls for the boycott of all Israeli products and institutions (sports, academic, and cultural).
• AFPS further calls for the end of financial ties between French banks and insurance companies with Israeli banks and enterprises, accusing them of being “actors of colonization.”
• Advocates for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
• Promotes the academic boycott against Israel.
• In March 2017,  along with groups including International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH),  Al-Haq, CCFD- Terre Solidaire, and the French League of Human Rights (LDH) published a document ‘The dangerous ties between French banks and insurances companies with the Israeli occupation‘, which recommends that the French government pressure French financial institutions to “disengage without delay from any financial link with the Israeli banking system,” and create “a legislative proposal prohibiting enterprises from all sectors to invest in the settlements.” The report only points to very minor and indirect connections, if at all, to settlements, and French courts have repeatedly found that such business activity is not illegal.The report was funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
• In February 2017, along with members of the European Parliament (EP), lobbied the EP President to cancel a session of Delegation for Relations with Israel where Sydney Knafou, CEO of Casimex, was scheduled to testify on European labeling guidelines. AFPS accused the company of violating French and European law.  Despite AFPS’ lobbying efforts, the event went as scheduled and Knafou testified (02:35) that as a result of BDS efforts at the EU, “For several years now, but, crucially, in the last few months, my business has been disrupted by unhelpful statements made at the EU level which are politically motivated and unrelated to any legitimate European business concern,” He further noted, “There is no justification for penalizing EU businesses on the basis of foreign policy objectives. None…this disrupts trade in a manner that is incompatible with international trade law, without a proper legal basis under EU law, and in a manner that is completely disproportionate in light of the objectives of the European Union.”
• In 2007, AFPS and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) filed a petition with the Tribunal of Nanterre against Veolia and Alstom for alleged violation of “public order.” In the petition, the two French companies were accused of violating international law for their involvement in the construction of the Light Rail train. The Tribunal of Nanterre dismissed the case in 2011, and the Versailles Court of Appeals upheld the decision in 2013.
  • The court ruled that the AFPS did not have standing to bring suit because it was not “defending a collective interest specific to its membership as distinct from the public interest of Palestinians in general.”
  • The court also noted that building the Jerusalem Light Rail was not illegal because occupation law allows for the governance of occupied territory and includes the building of transportation infrastructure. Finally, the court emphasized that the determination of the legality of a contract cannot be contingent on political considerations advanced by a third party.

Activities in the West Bank and Gaza

• In cooperation with French regional governments and Palestinian partners, AFPS funds many projects on issues including water, education, agriculture, health, culture, and social.
• In 2015-2016, AFPS funded an olive tree planting project (€20,000) for the benefit of inhabitants of the Wadi Fukin village. In reality, the project had political goals and was described as “struggling against the expansion of Tsur Hadassah settlement on the land of the village.” Tsur Hadassah is a city located within the international recognized borders of the State of Israel. AFPS partnered with Stop the Wall Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (PGAAWC), Sunflower for the Human and Environment Protection (member of Grassroots Jerusalem), Arab Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD), and Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC) on the project. Representatives of the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem attended the official commencement of the project.
• AFPS’ ‘SOS Palestine’ fund: Every year, AFPS raises money under the banner of “SOS Palestine.” The organization claims that “without occupation, there would be no problem of poverty or shortage in Palestine.” Funds are transferred to politicized Palestinian NGOs, some of which have alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group.
  • In 2016, under this framework, AFPS transferred €100,000: Recipients include Health Work Committees (HWC) (€15,000), which has ties to PFLP terrorist group; and the Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA) (€15,000) and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) (€15,000), both of which promote BDS campaigns against Israel.
  • In 2014, AFPS transferred €150,000: Recipients included the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) and HWC, two organizations with ties to the PFLP terrorist group; and PMRS, CFTA, and the Ma’an Development Center.Funding amounts are not given.