Divesting from Israel Encourages Terrorism. Really.
(Or, things I would say to readers of JewishJournal.com if I could)
by Diane V. McLoughlin, Mar. 26, 2010
http://www.mcloughlinpost.com
JewishJournal.com is a large-circulation Los Angeles paper. I just read the article, 'U.
C. Berkeley student president vetoes divest-from-Israel resolution'. (Amanda
Pazornik, Jweekly, Mar. 25, 2010.) The article link was twittered to me
(McLoughlinPost) from a fellow twitterer.
There are a large number of American Jews who do not agree with Israel's behavior.
Nobody reading the above-noted article would have a clue that that is so. Nor would
anyone learn anything about what Israel does that could be objectionable to anyone.
Not really.
Lawyer and influential author Alan Dershowitz is quoted saying, “divesting from
Israel is immoral, bigoted and if done by a state university, illegal. It encourages
terrorism and discourages peace,” Dershowitz wrote. “We will fight back against this
selective bigotry that hurts the good name of the University of California.” (Emphasis
added.)
Dershowitz is referring to the fact that a University of California (Berkeley) students'
association had voted in favor of asking the university to divest itself of $135 million
it currently has invested in two companies, General Electric and United Technologies.
These companies supply war materials and electronics to Israel.
The students cite Israel as a perpetrator of war crimes in their resolution. Reporter
Amanda Pazornik further shares that the president of the student association, Will
Smelko, vetoed the successful resolution, even though it passed by a wide margin of
16-4.
In turn, the veto could be overturned at one of the next association meetings which are
scheduled on Wednesdays, perhaps as soon as March 31st.
But one has to ask, who does Alan Dershowitz think he's kidding? This is still a
democracy (what's left of it.) You don't want to invest your money somewhere
anymore? You pull it out.
Peaceful divestment encourages terrorism, Mr. Dershowitz - not occupation, not
oppression? Really!
But on second thought, I find Mr. Dershowitz's choice of words to be helpful.
Occupation and colonization of the Palestinian West Bank are both immoral, bigoted,
and illegal under international law. The citizens of this world are peacefully coming
together, just as they did for the oppressed under the boot of South Africa's Apartheid
regime, to fight back against Israel's selective bigotry by the most peaceful and
effective of means: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions - BDS.
And actually, that coming together to bring about the dissolution of South African
Apartheid did not include Israel. Israel continued to do business with Apartheid South
Africa even as the world boycott took hold.
History will judge forever all who choose to do business with Israel during this dark
time. Their good names will be tarnished accordingly.
While Stephen Kuperberg (executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition in
Washington, D.C.) reportedly claims that no university has ever actually divested
from Israel, the reality of the situation is somewhat different. A wave of change may
be coming:
'In November of last year, student organizers representing over 40 campuses nation-
wide came together for a BDS Conference held on Hampshire's campus to continue to
carry the momentum of divestment' - Students for Justice in Palestine (Hampshire
chapter students' group.)
Another person quoted by Pazornik, Naftalin-Kelman, argues that, "In no way are the
interests of Israeli and Palestinian people served by a resolution that single-handedly
and inaccurately identifies Israel as a committer (sic) of war crimes.”
I challenge that claim. Rather than resolutions in favor of peaceful divestment, is
violent resistance the better choice? Or does he propose a Masada solution for the
occupied Palestinian people as the only road to their salvation that would be
acceptable to him? (A riveting event in history, Masada was a hilltop where a Jewish
community was besieged by the Romans. Rather than face slavery or execution they
chose death. Every last man, woman and child was killed, the killers chosen in lots,
down to the last man who in turn committed suicide.)
I am repulsed by the loathsome argument that we are to somehow balance equally our
opprobrium between the oppressor and the oppressed. This is called moral
equivalence - it is an abomination.
It seems clear from the tone, the substance and the style of the above-noted piece, and
the actors who are introduced in it, that a community has been playing a telephone tag
game of nonsense while the Palestinian people are being destroyed. The totality of this
nonsense puts Israeli Jews at risk - they know not what they do, and and few have the
nerve to tell them.
Those brave enough to speak out are labeled anti-Semites; if they are Jewish they are
called 'self-hating' Jews -whatever that means. Frankly, the latter is Orwellian double-
speak. Rather, I would argue that Jews that condemn Israel's policies of ethnic
cleansing are self-respecting, instead.
In any event, while this self-delusion otherwise goes on, Palestinian children of East
Jerusalem take their favorite toys and clothes with them when they go to school each
day because they fear their homes will not be there when they return. Palestinians who
plan peaceful protests are rounded up by the IDF to be beaten, arrested, or both.
Children suffer. Children die. Gaza is becoming more and more like the Warsaw
Ghetto with each passing day.
If you are going to support any enterprise, it is morally incumbent upon you to
investigate to ensure that what you are being asked to endorse, to support, to finance -
is RIGHT.
Where to begin? I personally recommend the rockets from Gaza that Israel cites to
justify the overwhelming destruction Israel wrought upon them all.
- Gaza did not break the ceasefire. Israel did. So from there the question one has to ask
themselves, is why? (See pg. 6: Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence
Heritage and Commemoration Center - IICC - Summary of Rocket Fire and Mortar Shelling 2008.)
- Here is a sampling of Israel's war crimes in Gaza, referred to in one article of my
own: http://www.mcloughlinpost.com/IsraelEvidenceOfWarCrimesInGazaGrowsByTheDay.
html
- For your interest, Ynet News reports that the Knesset is the most racist since the
founding of Israel, having had an increase of 75% in racist laws submitted in the last
year.
The door may be closing but Israel clearly still has more open discourse about itself
than it does amongst Americans. Some Americans still insist that their government
finance by the annual billions Israel's apartheid regime.
That has to change. It must, for the long-term peace and security of every single human
being in the region. How long it takes, how many lives are destroyed in the meantime,
really, is in large measure up to you.
Jewish Voice for Peace is one group working to bring about change. But they are far
from the only ones.
My own personal view? Settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories have the vote
in Israel. The Palestinians in the occupied territories, as well as those in Gaza, do not.
If the settlers stay then the Palestinians must get the vote, too. In other words, Israel
should then declare itself to be one bi-national state with equal rights for all its
citizens.
On the other hand, if Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza don't get the vote, and
they don't have it now, then Israel continues to be referred to, rightly, as an Apartheid
regime.
Diane V. McLoughlin -
Publisher, editor, writer, peace activist
home
To access comments on the above article, please visit my blog, here
(Or, things I would say to readers of JewishJournal.com if I could)
by Diane V. McLoughlin, Mar. 26, 2010
http://www.mcloughlinpost.com
JewishJournal.com is a large-circulation Los Angeles paper. I just read the article, 'U.
C. Berkeley student president vetoes divest-from-Israel resolution'. (Amanda
Pazornik, Jweekly, Mar. 25, 2010.) The article link was twittered to me
(McLoughlinPost) from a fellow twitterer.
There are a large number of American Jews who do not agree with Israel's behavior.
Nobody reading the above-noted article would have a clue that that is so. Nor would
anyone learn anything about what Israel does that could be objectionable to anyone.
Not really.
Lawyer and influential author Alan Dershowitz is quoted saying, “divesting from
Israel is immoral, bigoted and if done by a state university, illegal. It encourages
terrorism and discourages peace,” Dershowitz wrote. “We will fight back against this
selective bigotry that hurts the good name of the University of California.” (Emphasis
added.)
Dershowitz is referring to the fact that a University of California (Berkeley) students'
association had voted in favor of asking the university to divest itself of $135 million
it currently has invested in two companies, General Electric and United Technologies.
These companies supply war materials and electronics to Israel.
The students cite Israel as a perpetrator of war crimes in their resolution. Reporter
Amanda Pazornik further shares that the president of the student association, Will
Smelko, vetoed the successful resolution, even though it passed by a wide margin of
16-4.
In turn, the veto could be overturned at one of the next association meetings which are
scheduled on Wednesdays, perhaps as soon as March 31st.
But one has to ask, who does Alan Dershowitz think he's kidding? This is still a
democracy (what's left of it.) You don't want to invest your money somewhere
anymore? You pull it out.
Peaceful divestment encourages terrorism, Mr. Dershowitz - not occupation, not
oppression? Really!
But on second thought, I find Mr. Dershowitz's choice of words to be helpful.
Occupation and colonization of the Palestinian West Bank are both immoral, bigoted,
and illegal under international law. The citizens of this world are peacefully coming
together, just as they did for the oppressed under the boot of South Africa's Apartheid
regime, to fight back against Israel's selective bigotry by the most peaceful and
effective of means: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions - BDS.
And actually, that coming together to bring about the dissolution of South African
Apartheid did not include Israel. Israel continued to do business with Apartheid South
Africa even as the world boycott took hold.
History will judge forever all who choose to do business with Israel during this dark
time. Their good names will be tarnished accordingly.
While Stephen Kuperberg (executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition in
Washington, D.C.) reportedly claims that no university has ever actually divested
from Israel, the reality of the situation is somewhat different. A wave of change may
be coming:
'In November of last year, student organizers representing over 40 campuses nation-
wide came together for a BDS Conference held on Hampshire's campus to continue to
carry the momentum of divestment' - Students for Justice in Palestine (Hampshire
chapter students' group.)
Another person quoted by Pazornik, Naftalin-Kelman, argues that, "In no way are the
interests of Israeli and Palestinian people served by a resolution that single-handedly
and inaccurately identifies Israel as a committer (sic) of war crimes.”
I challenge that claim. Rather than resolutions in favor of peaceful divestment, is
violent resistance the better choice? Or does he propose a Masada solution for the
occupied Palestinian people as the only road to their salvation that would be
acceptable to him? (A riveting event in history, Masada was a hilltop where a Jewish
community was besieged by the Romans. Rather than face slavery or execution they
chose death. Every last man, woman and child was killed, the killers chosen in lots,
down to the last man who in turn committed suicide.)
I am repulsed by the loathsome argument that we are to somehow balance equally our
opprobrium between the oppressor and the oppressed. This is called moral
equivalence - it is an abomination.
It seems clear from the tone, the substance and the style of the above-noted piece, and
the actors who are introduced in it, that a community has been playing a telephone tag
game of nonsense while the Palestinian people are being destroyed. The totality of this
nonsense puts Israeli Jews at risk - they know not what they do, and and few have the
nerve to tell them.
Those brave enough to speak out are labeled anti-Semites; if they are Jewish they are
called 'self-hating' Jews -whatever that means. Frankly, the latter is Orwellian double-
speak. Rather, I would argue that Jews that condemn Israel's policies of ethnic
cleansing are self-respecting, instead.
In any event, while this self-delusion otherwise goes on, Palestinian children of East
Jerusalem take their favorite toys and clothes with them when they go to school each
day because they fear their homes will not be there when they return. Palestinians who
plan peaceful protests are rounded up by the IDF to be beaten, arrested, or both.
Children suffer. Children die. Gaza is becoming more and more like the Warsaw
Ghetto with each passing day.
If you are going to support any enterprise, it is morally incumbent upon you to
investigate to ensure that what you are being asked to endorse, to support, to finance -
is RIGHT.
Where to begin? I personally recommend the rockets from Gaza that Israel cites to
justify the overwhelming destruction Israel wrought upon them all.
- Gaza did not break the ceasefire. Israel did. So from there the question one has to ask
themselves, is why? (See pg. 6: Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence
Heritage and Commemoration Center - IICC - Summary of Rocket Fire and Mortar Shelling 2008.)
- Here is a sampling of Israel's war crimes in Gaza, referred to in one article of my
own: http://www.mcloughlinpost.com/IsraelEvidenceOfWarCrimesInGazaGrowsByTheDay.
html
- For your interest, Ynet News reports that the Knesset is the most racist since the
founding of Israel, having had an increase of 75% in racist laws submitted in the last
year.
The door may be closing but Israel clearly still has more open discourse about itself
than it does amongst Americans. Some Americans still insist that their government
finance by the annual billions Israel's apartheid regime.
That has to change. It must, for the long-term peace and security of every single human
being in the region. How long it takes, how many lives are destroyed in the meantime,
really, is in large measure up to you.
Jewish Voice for Peace is one group working to bring about change. But they are far
from the only ones.
My own personal view? Settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories have the vote
in Israel. The Palestinians in the occupied territories, as well as those in Gaza, do not.
If the settlers stay then the Palestinians must get the vote, too. In other words, Israel
should then declare itself to be one bi-national state with equal rights for all its
citizens.
On the other hand, if Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza don't get the vote, and
they don't have it now, then Israel continues to be referred to, rightly, as an Apartheid
regime.
Diane V. McLoughlin -
Publisher, editor, writer, peace activist
home
To access comments on the above article, please visit my blog, here
