(By Marilyn Jerry)
Opinion: Boycott, divestment, sanctions movement seeks justice for Palestinians (via NJ.com)
By Marilyn Jerry With the collapse of Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to promote a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, many are asking, “What now?” Given the number of times such talks have failed, it doesn’t seem likely…
This post was republished using Repost. Please read it on Informed Comment directly: https://www.juancole.com/2014/05/divestment-sanctions-palestinians.html
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Very trenchant article. Sadly, when I looked at the comments on the Times of Trenton site, they were all virulently hostile (only 5 comments so far).
Israel seems to see BDS as its biggest threat ( even more than the phony Iranian nuclear weapon threat) and is devoting considerable effort and money trying to demonize and combat the movement. Just as in South Africa, there will be no change in Israeli intransigence until the 1% who run Israel , just like in the US, begin to feel it in their purses. Forget the useless “peace process” which is nothing but cover for Israeli colonization and apartheid. The movement is growing and it is the only real chance for peace.
This cogent and persuasive article is erroneous in one significant respect: the overall BDS movement does indeed target all Israeli products, and encompasses a cultural and partial academic boycott (institutions but not individual academics) as well. Omar Barghouti, one of the founders of the BDS movement, has expressed that any level of participation people feel comfortable with is helpful to the cause (to paraphrase, “If all you can do is boycott an egg, then we ask you to boycott an egg”). While personally I understand the rationale of a full boycott, I am not at that point yet, choosing to boycott only products and businesses that profit from the settlements (including eggs). However, my own stance is evolving, and it is beginning to look like, given the extreme intransigence of the current government of Israel, a settlement boycott alone may not be enough.
It is more sensible to focus only on the illegal settlements. Opponents will paint this boycott as antisemitism – to which the perfect answer is “We are not boycotting Israel”
If it is clear the BDS supports Israel’s right to existence within secure borders, it can not be demonized and marginalized.
The Washington State Court of Appeals on April 7, 2014 upheld a trial court judgment dismissing a complaint filed against the Olympia Food Co-op and a number of its current and former directors for voting to boycott Israeli goods; the appeals panel also affirmed judgment on the counterclaim for the defendants awarding $160,000 in damages plus $60,000 in attorney fees – the appellate court further granted defendants legal fees incurred on appeal.
The co-op and directors named as defendants had countersued the plaintiff-members of the co-op under Washington’s anti-SLAPP(Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law.
The plaintiff-shareholders opposing the boycott in the suit had met with the Israel Consul for the northwest United States, and a deputy minister of the Israel Foreign Ministry all but conceded at the time the suit was filed that it was being instituted with the support of the Israeli government.
Other co-op BDS efforts against Israeli-manufactured products in the U.S. have failed e.g. Park Slope in Brooklyn and People’s Food Co-op in Ann Arbor.