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It’s time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa. In July 2005 a huge coalition of Palestinian groups laid out plans to do just that. They called on “people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era”. The campaign Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions was born.
Every day that Israel pounds Gaza brings more converts to the BDS cause – even among Israeli Jews. In the midst of the assault roughly 500 Israelis, dozens of them well-known artists and scholars, sent a letter to foreign ambassadors in Israel. It calls for “the adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions” and draws a clear parallel with the anti-apartheid struggle. “The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves … This international backing must stop.”
Yet even in the face of these clear calls, many of us still can’t go there. The reasons are complex, emotional and understandable. But they simply aren’t good enough. Economic sanctions are the most effective tool in the non-violent arsenal: surrendering them verges on active complicity…
Just about now, many a proud Zionist is gearing up for major point-scoring: don’t I know that many of these very hi-tech toys come from Israeli research parks, world leaders in infotech? True enough, but not all of them. Several days into Israel’s Gaza assault, Richard Ramsey, managing director of a British telecom specialising in voice-over-internet services, sent an email to the Israeli tech firm MobileMax: “As a result of the Israeli government action in the last few days we will no longer be in a position to consider doing business with yourself or any other Israeli company.”
Ramsey says his decision wasn’t political; he just didn’t want to lose customers. “We can’t afford to lose any of our clients,” he explains, “so it was purely commercially defensive.”
It was this kind of cold business calculation that led many companies to pull out of South Africa two decades ago. And it’s precisely the kind of calculation that is our most realistic hope of bringing justice, so long denied, to Palestine.
RTFA. The four points Ms. Klein suggests for consideration – and rebuttal – are the major offerings most folks come up with. What’s your opinion? What’s your decision?
Thanks, Mr. Justin
A simpler boycott would be to stop selling them tanks and helicopters.
You think they built those M1A1 tanks themselves?
#18
THis is the second time you have tried to condemn someone for the way they post, I thought you’d learned on the recent Somalian pirate post that it is in fact YOU that are inaccurate…..
1.Phosphorus = chemical
2.Shell = weapon
1+2 = CHEMICAL WEAPON
or for Paddy-0, probably 7
Noun: chemical weapon
Chemical substances that can be delivered using munitions and dispersal devices to cause death or severe harm to people and animals and plants
why must you start these things?
#31 – I think you need to check out the CWC.
Lead is a “chemical substance”… Really, get educated on the subject. It’ll help in life too.
They should check first and see if Afrikaaners ran the media, banking, and law enforcement industries.
Islamo-fascists have two goals in life. First,To eliminate all Jews and, second, to die. Israel is just helping them expedite the second one before they can accomplish the first.
To compare this to what was going on is South Africa is not just ridiculous but despicable. Many have no understanding of history while ignoring basic facts that many Arabs have no desire for peace with Israel while Israel has bent over backwards to offer peace.
Someone has been listening to Hamas and the other Muslim extremists too much. You won’t get my sympathy as long as the rockets are landing in Israel. Remember, while you’re feeling sooo sorry for the poor Palestinians, they voted Hamas in and they, the so called innocent civilians, support violence against Israel. I say let the Palestinian terrorist blood flow.
paddy-o-anal retentive
phosphorous is a chemical
a shell is a weapon
not everyone uses exact language all the time, perhaps we see more importance in the major issues…people use this blog to put across feelings and ideas on subjects and events and to read potentially likeminded responses…
you on the other hand seem to use it as a vehicle to criticise these views, and i dont mean criticise in order to create debate, but to relieve stress in your otherwise sealed shut a-hole…(that means you are anal retentive)..
Please think before you post and realise that not everyone is as interested in scoring points as you are…
I don’t want to create conflict, although i do expect a rather witty if not standard internet slob response, but if you are to do anything in this life, show some GOD DAMN TOLERENCE
Let me get this straight
The Israeli’s leave Gaza under all types of international assurances
The Gazaans elect Hamas as their elected representatives
The only efforts being done are not to improve anything but to import weapons and shoot them to kill the jews
The israeli’s hold off for years – against rockets, snipers directly killing people
The “European observers ” turn a blind eye
The Egyptians have not stopped one rifle
Left wing dribble aparatheid rah rah rah
Did the South African blacks send in missiles ?
What gives you the right to make such statements from California
Should you not leave – go back to where you came from and give it back to the Mexicans
The people who should be charged are the international observers and Unifil in Lebanon
What are they doing – having coffee while the cement trucks and driving by ?
# 36 jimbo said, “phosphorous is a chemical”
Did you study the CWC docs? Please, you’re embarrassing yourself.
# 37 shinderpal jandu said, “The people who should be charged are the international observers and Unifil in Lebanon”
Yesterday the UN confessed to hiring known terrorists to work in the Gaza schools…
Jews 1 Hamas 0
And, if Israel had simply retaliated by firing random rockets and mortars into Gaza?
Please, all you cringing coward anti-Semites make me sick. Keep on hiding your stinking hate behind your high “humane” stances and Hollywood warm n’ fuzzy feelings for the blood-thirsty terrorists of Hamas.
Phosphorous is a chemical. Yeah, it’s a naturally occurring chemical element, just like gold, silver, lead, and carbon. You’re going to have to provide some detail as to why this particular element qualifies it as a ‘chemical weapon’
#41, thanks for proving my point from post #1
wow,you did it again…..man your family must hate you.
now i can accept that i was wrong, you get a point for that….but maybe ‘chemical’ was the first word i thought of to describe something which i first discovered in CHEMISTRY class quite a number of years ago…
embaressed?….almost as much as you where when you got caught lying about the somalian pirate post….
seen any more interesting news stories a whole day before they happen?
Anyways, we all love confrontation, but since we have to co-exist on this site, how about we chalk it down to difference of ideals, call each other mildly offensive names, and call it quits…?
Ok, i’ll go first…..
STFU SAD ACT
#39
It’s the first i’ve heard of that. link please.
Paddy-o
wow,you did it again…..man your family must hate you.
now i can accept that i was wrong, you get a point for that….but maybe ‘chemical’ was the first word i thought of to describe something which i first discovered in CHEMISTRY class quite a number of years ago…
embaressed?….almost as much as you where when you got caught lying about the somalian pirate post….
seen any more interesting news stories a whole day before they happen?
Anyways, we all love confrontation, but since we have to co-exist on this site, how about we chalk it down to difference of ideals, call each other mildly offensive names, and call it quits…?
Ok, i’ll go first…..
STFU SAD ACT
Israel has no water. It will continue to occupy Palestine no matter what. If there is no Hamas, Israel will import some Al Qaeeda.
one question how the hell a bunch of white people end up in northern africa jews are white right ?
# 45 jimbo said, “now i can accept that i was wrong, you get a point for that”
jimbo, my point is that if you are going to accuse s/o of war crimes you should AT LEAST look it up. That should be your 1st thought before making the accusation.
#44. Heard it on NBC TV. The story should be searchable now and pop up many hits.
It is sad to see someone using the “anti-Semite” accusation during this type of debate.
I can like/tolerate/ignore Russians but can disagree with the Russians leaning on the old Soviet States.
I can like/tolerate/ignore Indians but disagree with the military action against the Tamils.
I can like/tolerate/ignore Jews but disagree with the Military action in Gaza.
etc, etc, etc.
We have to learn to identify that people don’t make wars but Governments do.
It is sad to see someone using the “anti-Semite” accusation during this type of debate.
I can like/tolerate/ignore Russians but can disagree with the Russians leaning on the old Soviet States.
I can like/tolerate/ignore Indians but disagree with the military action against the Tamils.
I can like/tolerate/ignore Jews but disagree with the Israeli Military action in Gaza.
etc, etc, etc.
We have to learn to identify that people don’t make wars but Governments do.
#1/#43 “Blind support?” Okay then, you and your ilk are not anti-Semites…you’re disingenuous idiots who support terrorist tactics yet, LOVE the Jews all at the same time. Jerkwad.
#47
You mean this link?
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Official_U.N._Gaza_complex_hit_with_0115.html
Why not just put up a post:
Should the US nuke Israel?
#48, people who kill each other to defend their absurd superstitious beliefs are the idiots. Doesn’t matter who’s book of fables is older, they are all clowns.
# 50 jim said, “You mean this link?”
I don’t mean any particular link as I didn’t read it on the internet. I heard it on an NBC broadcast.
Already am a proud boycotter of anything promoting religious slaughter.
Way to go Paddy-o and Jopa, you made me realize that Obama wont stop stupid americans from being selfish crusaders on a mission to rule the world and tear down everything in their way.
BTW Zionists = Jewish fascism = Nazi Germany.
You want to blame someone to be racist but you F**IN wanna kill systematically ANY members of another particular culture.
How about War on Poverty or war on pollution instead of a war of attrition on already ripped off people.
The whole thing goes WAY deeper than a terror shitlist. Ever heard of mossad? Why would an almost dead person shoot himself in the foot? and why all these rockets kill no one? It seems like they dont wanna kill when they shoot, why? hehum *cough*… false flag ….*cough*
The Israelis are stupid. How is invading Gaza going to stop the Palestinians from firing rockets into Israel from Gaza? The Israelis would have establish direct control over all 1.5 million or so Gaza inhabitants. Anything less will only make matters worse — for every Gaza resident they kill, they will create half a dozen more terrorists from their remaining family members.
Hm, Israel needs a solution… a final solution for the Palestinian question, you might say…
(And yes, for the irony impaired, that is an ironic reference to the Nazi “final solution” for the Jews.)
IMHO this all goes back to the “God gave us this land” rationale for establishing the state of Israel. All well and good as long as the people already there are on the same page and willingly accept the word of your God and vacate the premises. Otherwise, big trouble.
How about we get Jehovah and Allah together at the U.N. and hash this out?
A nation born in blood will live in blood, and die in blood.
A modification to my last statement: A nation born in blood will live in blood, and die in blood — unless they exterminate those who lived there before them, as the Europeans did so successfully in America.
Israel, your final solution is clear — do you have the guts to do it?