In response to Police Minister Gilad Erdan's announcement, that he is setting up a unit in his ministry to compile names of Israelis who boycott settlements and include them in a computerized database, already more than a thousand Israeli citizens singed the petition "Gilad Erdan, note it down: we, too, boycott the settlements !!"

The petition text follows:

We, Israeli citizens deeply concerned for the future of our country, are highly disturbed by the deterioration of civil rights in Israel and the increasing violation of the rights of minorities and dissenters. It has just become known that the Minister of Public Security, Mr. Gilad Erdan, seeks to compile a database of Israelis who call for the boycott of settlements. This move comes on the heels of an Israeli Government decision to block the entry to Israel of non-Israelis who support the boycott of settlements.

UN Security Council Resolution 2334 calls upon UN member states to differentiate between Israel proper and the occupied territories. Settlements create a reality of apartheid, are responsible for extensive human rights violations against Palestinians, and lead to actions of ethnic cleansing.

Our response to those actions is to call upon all decent persons, in Israel and abroad, to ANNOUNCE A TOTAL BOYCOTT OF THE SETTLEMENTS -- ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND ACADEMIC -- and will do our utmost to convince others that such a boycott is essential for the preservation of Israeli democracy.

(There follows the list of more than a thousand signatories, some of them well-known academics and public figures).

The text and list of signatories was sent to Erdan's bureau, with the following covering note:

To: Mr. Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security Re: Add us to your "black lists"

We are Israeli who support total boycott of settlements. We learned that you instructed your underlings to collect data on those who support such boycott (of an "area under Israeli control"). We regard the settlements as causing extreme harm to Israel, and therefore request you to include our names on your lists. You or your undelings may also view at your leisure the online petition, to which more and more constantly adhere, so as to further extend your black lists.

www.atzuma.co.il/addmyname

Indeed, we strongly urge you to do so, since all who sign this petition intend and expect to be included in your black lists, and would feel offended if their names were to be excluded.

Sincerely

The Petition Organizers