BDS Campaign Wants Israel to Abide by International Law

By one of the only Israeli professors who stands firmly behind the Boycott movement.

(JERUSALEM THE OBSERVER) - There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding about the BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions). As John Berger explained a while back, BDS is not a principle but a strategy; it is not against Israel but against Israeli policy; when the policy changes BDS will end.

BDS is also not about a particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather the demand that Israel abide by international law and UN resolutions. It is accordingly something that you can support if you are for a two state solution or a one state solution. You can even support it as a Zionist. It arises from the realization, following years of experience, that the Occupation will not end unless Israelis understand that it has a price.

In a sense, the fact that a boycott is required is a sign of weakness following the polaristaion and marginalisation of the left in Israel. On the one hand, we have more or less used all the other weapons we have in the arsenal of non-violent resistance and the situation on the ground is only getting worse. On the other hand, we are witnessing the development of a proto-fascist mindset in Israel. I am, for example, extremely anxious about the extent that the space for public debate in Israel is shrinking.

One of the ways of silencing any dissent is the through the demand for loyalty; a slogan you hear a lot now is “no citizenship without loyalty.” This slogan reflects the inversion of the republican idea that the state should be loyal to the citizen and is accountable for inequities and injustices. It is a manifestation of the complete reversal of the republican relationship between state and loyalty and the adoption, instead, of a logic similar to the one that informed Mussolini’s Italy. It is - as Gramsci once said - part of the morbid symptoms of our times.

One of the expressions of these symptoms is the increasingly violent attitude towards any kind of dissent within Israel. I have received more death threats following my criticism of the flotilla fiasco than ever before. When I walk on campus people ask in jest if I am wearing a bullet proof vest. Such jokes have a menacing undertone. Therefore it is not all that surprising that only three professors in Israel openly support a boycott; many others are in the closet because supporting BDS is not considered to be a legitimate form of critique and people who back it are in danger of being punished.

And yet, there is also a sense that the pro-government proponents have gone too far. They are not only targeting people on the far left, but practically everyone who is even slightly critical of government policies. A couple of months ago a high school principle who objected to military officers coming in to speak to his pupils, was all but crucified. Clearly the outrage of so many Israeli academics against the assault on academic freedom has little to do with the boycott, but is rather against the attempt to silence any kind of critique. There is an ever-growing sense that public discourse in Israel is dramatically shrinking. Thus, the provost of Haifa University, who courageously criticized the Minister of Education and the assault on academic freedom, is by no means a left-winger but is simply outraged at the current developments. He would never otherwise support my stance on the boycott.

Neve Gordon is the author of Israel's Occupation. He can be contacted through his website, israelsoccupation.info.

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Howard Pielet July 20, 2010 9:38 pm (Pacific time)

Tom -- fyi: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/international/shopping-mall-opens-in-gaza-20100719-lgf

Howard Pielet July 11, 2010 9:17 pm (Pacific time)

Tim -- FYI: http://spme.net/cgi-bin/articles.cgi?ID=5980

Howard Pielet July 11, 2010 8:08 pm (Pacific time)

Tim -- Thank you for posting my comment. Israel made Gaza Judenrein. Gaza responded with rocket attacks. Israel responded to those attacks. That the rockets killed fewer Israelis than Gaza wanted to kill or that the Israelis killed more Gazans than the Gazans killed Israelis does not make Gaza right and Israel wrong, nor does it in any way justify your repeated charge of genocidal intent. Using your number of 1400 people killed, how many countries are you ignoring who qualify higher on your genocidal intent scale? Blockades of enemy countries are a recognized method of self-defense. The suicide bombings slowed down when the separation fence made them harder to do, why don't you talk about that? Being sarcastic and indignant never gets us anywhere Tim, shalom.

Howard Pielet July 11, 2010 6:05 pm (Pacific time)

Silly of me to place a comment on a website on which the editor overwrites comments by stating that Israelis are on a genocide trip. To use the editor's language, "Israel is a saint in the world compared to ___fill_in_your_own_example__ if you are tallying murders and gauging oppression. Dear Editor, please define how many deaths and what types of oppression qualify a country for your "genocide trip" list, then see if you have enough room on your website to list them in order before you get to Israel.

Tim King: Howard, are you just arriving? Are you one of those guys who has been living with Israeli media and FOX News and actually looking for answers, or another troll from Israel on a key word search? How about Gaza and the 100-to-1 ratio, do you know these numbers? Look them up on the UN Website, or endless others. Over 1400 Gaza residents killed, for a total loss of 14 Israeli lives, and several of those were Israel's own friendly fire incidents. Let's leave it right there Howard, I think it says it all. If you are actually looking for answers then good luck. It is about humanity, Israel is who is threatening this rather popular subject, and it isn't to say that all Israelis are bad, or that they don't have a right to live in a particular place, it is about them having total control and people living under apartheid laws. believe me, the only goal is peace for everybody. The suicide bombings from Hamas halted in 2005, why doesn't anyone talk about that? The blockade of Gaza is illegal and there is minor progress because of the martyrs who sailed aboard the Mavi Marmara and the other ships in the flotilla. Good luck putting this together, Israel has been committing genocide all this time; it has to stop. Being indignant never gets us anywhere Howard, shalom.

Anonymous July 11, 2010 12:48 pm (Pacific time)

I agree..we end when they end...when the federal government stops being tyrannical, facist, spending money on wars for goldman sachs/israel and BP etc. and fibbing us into wars for their profit, killing our kids for their profit, then I will quit blogging, chase my wife around the house and write more music. Think I like this crap? I want to spend more time with my kids, my wife, my music, not friggin blogging. if the mainstream media would do their job, well.. Anyway, thanks salem-news, your dedication in efforts to find the truth make it easier on me.. get over the left/right hoax, and watch the truth flow like the rivers of heaven! :-)

Jo July 11, 2010 10:52 am (Pacific time)

How can anyone consider UN resolutions as in some way binding on Israel. 47 countries in the UN are Muslim, the vast majority will vote against Israel on principle and the vast majority are not democracies many more countries come under their influence, there is simply no possibility of anything about Israel being fairly considered in the UN

Brynababy July 11, 2010 10:14 am (Pacific time)

Tell me, when this person is going to boycott Iran for shooting dead, imprisoning opposition to a fraudulent election and now, stoning a woman to death for alleged adultery. Oh wait, they're not Jews, so we don't want to interfere in their policies. This guy is full of you-know-what!

Editor: Iran is a saint in the world compared to Israel if you are tallying murders and gauging oppression. Nobody said everyone there is good, but at least they aren't on some genocide trip like the Israelis. Iran has never lifted a finger toward the US beyond the hostage crisis, and they deserve a break. Iran is an ancient society, not some brokered 63-year old deal like Israel.

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