BP, ITOCHU, and INPEX:
Withdraw from the BTC Pipeline Fueling Israel’s Genocide!
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/stop-btc-pipeline
Israel has received approximately 30% of its crude oil used for genocide from Azerbaijan, the country hosting this year’s climate summit COP29. The BTC pipeline, that connects these countries, is primarily operated by BP and SOCAR*, and it also receives funding from Japan’s ITOCHU Corporation and INPEX**. We demand BP Japan, as part of BP group, to take maximum measures to prevent this fuel contributing to Israel’s genocide. We also call on ITOCHU and INPEX to withdraw immediately from the BTC pipeline.
*BP (British Petroleum) is a global energy company headquartered in the UK
*SOCAR : Azerbaijan's state oil company
**ITOCHU(伊藤忠商事) : a major Japanese trading company
**INPEX : Japan's largest oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company
◆ The BTC Pipeline That Fuels Genocide
Bakü – Tblisi – Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline is a crude oil pipeline which crosses international borders between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Its main operators are BP and SOCAR, and Japan’s ITOCHU Corporation and INPEX are also shareholders in the project, with stakes of 3.4% and 2.5%, respectively. Additionally, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank and Mizuho Bank have provided nearly $600 million in loans to SOCAR over the past three years."
Israel has received large quantities of crude oil transported through this pipeline, providing further fuel for the genocide being carried out in Palestine and the invasion of neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Syria. In addition, the BTC pipeline has also caused problems such as human rights violations against workers and minorities, environmental damage, and the outbreak of conflicts.
People have rallied around the world in response to Israel's deadly violence and have also been persistently engaged in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement. Concurrently, efforts to disrupt specific supply chains are underway to stop Israel’s war machinery. Recently, Greek dockworkers blocked the loading of ammunition containers destined for Israel. It is not only weapons that are being targeted. On June 8, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that his country will suspend coal exports to Israel. Today, an international campaign calling for a energy embargo against Israel through the BTC pipeline has been launched, with the slogan “stop fuelling genocide”.
◆ The BTC Pipeline Exacerbates the Climate Crisis
The fossil fuel industry including BP has dismissed and spread skepticism about climate change, to increase its fossil fuel production and make record profits. Articles and reports highlighting the severity of global warming. As we must urgently phase out the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, not a single drop of oil should be used for military purpose, let alone for genocide.
The climate crisis is rooted in an economic, political, and military system that disregards the lives of people in the Global South, continuing to extract resources and wealth from them. In this sense, the liberation of Palestine and the achievement of climate justice are deeply interconnected. The energy embargo movement stands at this intersection. Just as the Israeli military is turning Palestine into an uninhabitable place, fossil fuel companies are turning the entire planet into an uninhabitable place in exchange for their profits."
From November 11th, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will take place in Azerbaijan, in which world leaders will discuss climate change measures. However, the governments, corporations, and media of the participating countries are unwilling to address how Azerbaijan and the fossil fuel companies are involved in the genocide today. In particular, Turkey has been at the forefront of calls for an arms embargo against Israel at the United Nations, but this seems forgotten.With the region under the spotlight during COP29, it is crucial that we raise our voices to stop the BTC pipeline and halt this genocide today.
We ask for your support. Please support this petition. And help spread this petition through X, Instagram, and other platforms.
Petition page : https://www.change.org/stop-btc-pipeline
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