In Haaretz, Nehemia Shtrasler writes:
The world is changing before our eyes. Five years ago the anti-Israel movement may have been marginal. Now it is growing into an economic problem.
Until now boycott organizers had been on the far left. They have a new ally: Islamic organizations that have strengthened greatly throughout Europe in the past two decades. The upshot is a red and green alliance with a significant power base. The red side has a name for championing human rights, while the green side has money. Their union is what led to the success of the Turkish flotilla.
They note that boycott is an especially effective weapon against Israel because Israel is a small country, dependent on exports and imports. They also point to the success of the economic boycott against the apartheid regime in South Africa.
The anti-Israel tide rose right after Operation Cast Lead, as the world watched Israel pound Gaza with bombs on live television. No public-relations machine in the world could explain the deaths of hundreds of children, the destruction of neighborhoods and the grinding poverty afflicting a people under curfew for years. They weren’t even allowed to bring in screws to build school desks. Then came the flotilla, complete with prominent peace activists, which ended in nine deaths, adding fuel to the fire.
But underlying the anger against Israel lies disappointment. Since the establishment of the state, and before, we demanded special terms of the world. We played on their feelings of guilt, for standing idle while six million Jews were murdered.
David Ben-Gurion called us a light unto the nations and we stood tall and said, we, little David, would stand strong and righteous against the great evil Goliath.
The world appreciated that message and even, according to the foreign press, enabled us to develop the atom bomb in order to prevent a second Holocaust.
But then came the occupation, which turned us into the evil Goliath, the cruel oppressor, a darkness on the nations. And now we are paying the price of presenting ourselves as righteous and causing disappointment: boycott.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reports:
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday fiercely attacked the diplomatic process with the Palestinians that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu began in Washington last week, telling Israel Beiteinu activists in the capital that a peace deal is “unachievable.”
In a lengthy address to more than a thousand supporters at the Rimonim (formerly Shalom) Hotel, Lieberman criticized previous governments and his own for not learning the lessons of 17 years of failed diplomatic negotiations.
He said he gets asked all the time why he is against hope, and he responds that he is for hope but against illusions.
“It must be understood that signing a comprehensive agreement in which both sides agree to end the conflict and end all of their claims and recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people is a goal that is not achievable in the next year or in the next generation, so any historic compromises or painful concessions won’t help,” he said.
The best that could come out of the talks was a long-term interim agreement with the Palestinians, Lieberman said.
He promised that his party would fight against further construction freezes and unilateral concessions.
“Seventeen years should be enough time to realize what is and is not possible. I know there is pressure to continue the freeze, but I don’t know a single reason to do so.
Seventeen years should be enough time to realize what is and is not possible. I know there is pressure to continue the freeze, but I don’t know a single reason to do so.
Because it’s illegal under international law.
Because it’s a serious obstacle to peace.
I’m all for BDS but what happens when Israel becomes a total economic burden on the US? Instead of only half a burden today. It might be interesting to see the country when the likes of AIPAC can no longer blackmail Congress, but are progressives ready for it? As Haaretz reports, it was originally the Left that began the economic actions against Israel, and although American Progressives could hardly be called leftists by world standards, it would be a strain on all their consciences to see Israel set adrift.
Without more uber-bigots like Lieberman, the path to a just solution might be forever diverted down the slimy trails set by the Netanyahus of Israel. Nothing brings change faster than the wrong headedness of the arrogant. By all means destroy the talks, Avigdor, they are useless and one sided, but the pathetic PLO has no courage to walk out without the strong arguments you want to present them.
So let their consciences strain.
If the U.S were to cut Israel adrift, that’d be OK. If the US doesn’t, and gets pulled a little further down the tubes, hastening the long term weakening of the dollar, and in turn, weakening the demise of the petrodollar, so the whole world will benefit, that’ll be even better.
I’m not looking forward to domination by the Yu’ an. But what th’ hey, as long as the petrodollar survives, we know we’re in for more of the same old wars, undercover wars, destabilising economic stitch ups, etc.
The only alternative to a lack of progress, is some sort of . . . . . progress
We might be closer to that cut off point then is known. At best, we probably will need a strong P.O.T.U.S. before that happens. But, like the U.S. Treasury/Federal Reserve, both of which have about reached their limits in the continual looting that has been allowed, the point is closer than anyone thinks. Rational thinking has to take a front seat if the World isn’t plunged into W.W.III due to the radicalism of the present Israeli Government. I seriously doubt that the majority of American Jews would want to risk this country for that bunch how are still trying to play the Holocaust card. This is the 21st century, there have been many other genocidal acts in the World before & after what the Jews experienced. Collateral damage, I believe is the present Mantra today. So, does anyone really believe that the U.S. is going to sacrifice over 300 million people for how many Jews live in Israel?
To Norman
Just over 5 Million or approx. 43% of the Jewish world population. Interesting that the majority chooses to live outside the “(un)holy land”, isn’t it?
It would definitely be interesting to watch Israel stand on its own feet. Clay feet that is. I’m just not certain that I would like the outcome – unless Israel is first disarmed and all the WMD and nukes are put somewhere in a safe place. In my opinion they are capabale of anything if cornered. They already now have no qualms to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and any other attrocity in the books.
“unless Israel is first disarmed and all the WMD and nukes are put somewhere in a safe place. ”
and whos going to do that? allah?
How many of us think there is any way the zionist and Israeli mentality will ever change? I don’t.
I don’t even care why or how their hubristic and vengeful mentality came about, it’s immaterial to the fact that they are menace to a large part of the world.
I just finished reading parts of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s banned in the US book “200 Years Together” about the Jews and communism in Russia.
Just change the dates and the country and substitute communism for neo-ism and you have the same story here and now of what Solzhenitsyn called “Jewish nepotism” within the communism movement and class clashes in Russia.
Really, it just so damn familiar you can’t miss the similarity.
To mac
That’s that 1 billion $ question (inflation corrected …). Frankly – I leave around the corner of Israel and it gives me the chills if I allow such thoughts to creep up on me. It truly is not comforting given all the nut cases which sit in Tel Aviv and are in control of the “button”.