Recently in the unions , politcally correct so called liberals and hardcore leftwingers even in the national union of journalists , israel boycott is all the rage . Boycott of Israeli Universities , Boycott of Israeli Goods , Boycott of Israeli Foods , Boycott of Israeli Politicians , Israeli Books , you name it the boycottt movement have tried boycotting it .
Some groups behinds these boycotts say they are doing it to end the occupation . Fine --then Why weren't u boycotting Eygpt for holding the gaza strip between 1948 -1967 , Jordan occupying the west bank between 1948-1967 , China's continuing occupation of Tibet ,the USSRS occupation of the whole of eastern europe , the Syrian occupation of lebanon. Other's claim they are doing it to protest against israeli's genocidal treatment of palestinians . Hang on history has taught us what genocide truly is , and whilst many believe for example inside israel itself israel needs to improve it's treatment of palestinians it is nowhere genocidal treatment . Genocidal treatment is that of sudan's treatment of african muslims , the rwandan genocide , cambodia , the armenian genocide committed by the ottoman empire , the jordanian , or Slobadan's milosevic ransacking of kosovo and the horrific genocide that took place at srebenica , that is genocide . I for one can tell you none of this is happening in the West Bank or Gaza . Most of these occupations or treatments are far more brutal , and for far worse reasons then israel took over the west bank and gaza and killed palestinian civilians most of the time i should add acidentally . Yet you never hear anyone asking to boycott any of these nations .
There is another reason for not boycotting israel . The high levels of morality itself it achieves in the face of adversity which most present day nations do not face . Israel is a bastion of democracy in an ocean of tyrannical and opressive regimes bent on the destruction of the state of israel, for example the head of the government of iran this year has said " Israel must be wiped off the map" . Israel has freedom of speech and press in israel , which can be seen for example by one of the leading Israeli Newspapers Haaretz constantly criticising the Israeli government . There is also Israel's committment to basic human rights such as the rights of woman , israeli arabs , druze and bedouin . Doing all this despite having to struggle against terorists who target innocent woman , children , students and other civilians .
Then there is other boycott movements saying that they are Boycotting Israel because they are an apartheid state . Firstly israeli arabs , druze ,and bedouins whilst there treatment is not perfect , receive more money from the government than in any other arab country ,live in a vibrant democracy where they are represented in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) and can vote . They are also represented in the Israeli Supreme court ,are more prosperous than there arab partners in arab states. Also importantly all israeli universities are integrated including israelies from all backgrounds , religions and races . Secondly Israel opened with passion the door of israel to thousands of black ethiopian jews , hardly the act of a nation engaging in apartheid . If you want to see apartheid in action how about the actions of 2 arab countries Saudi Arabia and Jordan , where jews and christians can't legally become citizens . Where are the boycott movements for them . It seems the boycott movements believe there is one rule for israel as a nation and one rule for every other nation on the planet ,and this is fundamentally unfair .
Boycotters have a notion , that only when israel is internationally boycotted will they start to think about peace with the palestinians and giving up land. Some boycotters especially members of trade unions such as Unison encouraging a boycott of Israel dont even claim to want peace they are calling for the end of the jewish state itself . Boycotting israel also wounds the chance of a sustainable peace between israelies and the palestinians . This is because israeli citizens will see it as nothing less than demonisation of Israel .This in turn weakens the Israeli peace movement and pushes Israelis who are for peace into the arms of israeli hawks . In other words it appears the boycotters are giving up on the israeli peace camp . So actually what the boycotters are doing is a hindrance rather than a help to peace. It also ruins the case of people like me who believe in the two state solution and think israel should get out of the West Bank. This is because the majority of the israeli public could see those in the peace movements in the west supporting the two state solution in league with the boycotters . So what are the boycotters actually achieving lets see tarnishing the image of those genuine two state solution supporters in the west , the israeli peace movement ,and the chance of peace in the middle east . Clearly it seems the boycotts dont follow the path of reason and common sense.
Then boycotters seem to be putting israel on a higher level of morality than any other state . Just to give one example In Britain trade unions such as Unison and the university of college's and university has been the heartbeat of the campaign to boycott israel . Yet there is no boycott of China where no trade unions are allowed . This is in complete contrast to Israel where the Histradut the Israeli Trade Union movement is one of the most powerful in the world certainly more powerful than American and British Trade Unions .To me this just shows the utter absurdity of boycotting israel .
What is worrying me is that these boycott movements have reached the top echelons of british society . In may 2007 the conference of british universities agreed to a boycott of israeli academics and universities . Not only is this vote a stab in the eye for freedom of expression and speech , it is pure and simple discrimination . Why cant an israeli academic speak or express his opinion to british universities , when british university academics have no problem in lambasting israeli universities and academics. The Univeristy and College union Boycott is counter to the cherished principle of freedom of expression .freedom of expression meaning that academics do not discriminate against colleagues on the basis of factors that are irrelevant to their academic work. What does an israeli science academics belief have anything to do for example with his pioneering work in chemistry , i'll tell you equivoqually , absolutely nothing . What we have here is a case of the boycott movement being involved complicity in curtailing academic freedom of israeli professors . the boycotters quite simply are putting a barrier in front of israeli professors , a barriers which blocks out the voices of moderate israeli university professors . To quote from the independent on this subject" Israeli academics have worked hard to oppose the excesses of their Government in the West Bank and Gaza. What good does it do to punish them in this manner" . I can tell you in no uncertain terms absolutely nothing . Israeli universities is where the heart of the Israeli peace movement is , if as the boycotters are saying you take out there voice , you've taken out a large chunk of the spiritual soul of the israeli peace movement . To conclude on this point i think it harms the palestinians as well. Thats to say how can the palestinians learn to talk to israelies which is essential to the peace process if the union of colleges and university's aren't even talking to the israel. Also it harms the palestinians because it encourages the use of terrorism by the palestinians , as it seems from there prospective every time israel responds to there terrorist act key international organisations boycott israel , and therefore they should continue on the terrorist path , so that israel can be condemned even louder . That doesn't sound logical to me , im pretty sure it doesn't sound logical to those people reading my article , it seems only logical to those organisations and people at the head of the boycott movement against israel .
The boycotters constant demonisation of israel and it's universities who they see as complicit with the israeli government can also be seen as anti semitism . this claim is backed up by quotes from a times online article on the academic boycott of israel ,written by Anthony Julius and Alan dershowitz .In it , it says "the boycotters are not just adopting bad politics derived from faulty thinking. There is an edge of malice to their campaign. Their desire to hurt, to punish, outstrips their ability even to identify with any precision their targets – all Israeli universities without exception? All academics within those universities? Israeli academics in non-Israeli universities? They cannot say. And so the question arises – does this malice have a name? To be blunt, is it anti-Semitic? The academic boycott resonates with earlier boycotts of Jews, whether those of medieval Europe or the Third Reich. The history of anti-Semitism is in part the history of boycotts of Jews. Each boycott derives from a principle of exclusion: Jews and/or the Jewish State are to be excluded from public life, from the community of nations, because they are dangerous and malign". Also the boycott pretext can be seen as a campaign to defame the jews. Why else do the boycotters hypocritcially sign up to the belief of national self determination especially the palestinians , but not the jews in particular zionism .It seems the boycotters would only be happy if the jews kept playing the role of victim . The boycotters are seething at the jewish nature of israel , yet have no problem with the islamic nature of Saudi Arabia ,or the christian nature of Italy . They do not seem to mind the hezbollah rocket attacks specifically trying to kill jews or hamas and islamic jihad suicide bombers specificially trying to kill jews , and then have the audacity to complain and expect more self restraint of israel than of any other nation when it defends itself . Israel is 0.1% of the land mass of the world , and the boycotters inexclusably overstate the importance of the israeli -palestinian conflict and also wildly the case to be made against israel's actions .
i think it would be apt to quote from the jerusalem post an israeli english language newspaper just to show how crazy, ill thought out ,and morally lacking the UCU ( university college union) boycott of israeli academics an university is ."Our academicians are not kosher, but Palestinian intellectuals are? The Palestinian Authority that sees Hamas and Fatah exchange gunfire in hospitals, throw people off roofs, murder each other in the streets execution-style and burn each others' houses to the ground, killing all the occupants including innocent children - its scholars are welcomed guests of the UCU? Does the UCU see no contradiction in opening its university doors to Palestinian academicians whose leadership tramples human rights with impunity? Extending preferential treatment to Palestinian academics makes a mockery of the UCU's boycott".
to conclude, does israel not have every right to protect themselves from rockets , sucide bombings and the constant threats from middle eastern governments and newspapers to wipe them off the face of the earth . i think the real problem many boycotters have is of a jewish nation and the jewish people of this nation not playing the innocent victim as the jewish people have played throughout history but actually standing up for themselves . This is why the boycott is fundamentally wrong Israel is not committing genocidal acts , Israel is defending themselves and sure Israel has made some mistakes and this has led to criticism and healthy criticism and proportional criticism of israel. The boycott is not proportional it condemns israel as an apartheid state when it's clearly not . It treats the palestinians as innocent victims , when palestinians terrorists have launched numerous terrorist attacks and rockets inside israel. In short the boycotts of israel supports palestinian terrorism and makes palestinian peace activists jobs much harder. The boycotters are fixated on israel and seem to ignore other more worthy nations of boycotts . just to name a few how about China Brutal occupation of Tibet, Burma's brutal millitary regime , Saudi Arabia's disgusting treatment of woman , and the boycott of Mugabe's Zimbabwe with it's terrible human rights records . The boycotters of israel can be likened to playground bullies they wont torment or attack the larger kids who can defend themselves such as china , but they have no problem in attacking israel as it is small and vulnerable .On concentrating on the only jewish state in the world and presenting such a one sided view , the boycotters even if they themselves aren't anti semitic , are adding to the problem of anti semitism in the western world ,and even more importantly the effects of there actions are anti semitic . Today the desire to destroy Jews has been reconfigured as the desire to destroy or dismantle the Jewish State Boycotters are adding to this by essentially calling israel an immoral state which doesn't deserve to exist for example giving it the hateful label "apartheid state" . The boycotts of is unfair, malicious , an affront to academic freedom and will lead to anti semitism .I urge all right minded people to stand up to those who boycott israel \
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