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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
anybody knows how does whites folk got there?
#6 Why do you find it interesting that the shells are made in the US? Most of Isreal’s arms are made in the US.
#9 A blockade while an ACT OF WAR is not a war crime.
Here is the article on the UN hiring terrorists – http://tinyurl.com/8aa7gl
#50 jim:
Or how about this?
http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479940,00.html
Now since Fox called this first, it must be wrong. Anything to not see the truth for the anti-Israel zealots.
Idiot Jimbo.
Apparently you have the Pro-Palestinian blinders on. Even your own article states that “The shell is not defined as an incendiary weapon by the Third Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons because its principal use is to produce smoke to protect troops.” “Human Rights Watch had no evidence that Israel was using incendiaries as weapons.”
Jimbo, you are such a total moron that you don’t even understand the article you posted.
#54 highaman,
I am a zionist but I don’t want to kill anyone.
As to your ridiculous “hint” that Mossad is firing rockets into Israel… well, this claim is so insane that I don’t even know how to respond to it 😀
I assume you also think it was the Mossad or CIA that did 9/11….
And by the way, people were killed by these rockets and many people wounded. Hamas is a terror organization.
#53
So, some guy just says it on NBC ,Fascist corporate Zionist news, and you believe him. Well, that explains a lot. You’re easily fooled just like most Americans. Hence the reason why monkey boy G Bush is your president.
Playing the Devil’s Advocate…Hamas was unfortunately the better of the two evils the Palestinians could vote for. Fatah and its kleptocrats (including the beloved Yassir Arafat) let the Pccupied Territories’s infrastructure go to pot and siphoned the money away. The PLO/Fatah leaders lived like princes. Enter Hamas which provided some hospitals and schools, although of course we know the price they make the Gazans pay. TV’s the same (hateful, death-to-Israel), so are the potholes and snipers, and the using of citizens as shields, patsies, and whatnot.
Yep, your (UN/Iranian/Islamic ‘charity’) fund at work.
Now get it through your heads…The Occupied Territories are NOT occupied anymore. They were handed over to the PA years ago. The groups in power pissed the chance away, just like Yassir Arafat threw away the chance at a decent peace for his people.
Also get it through your heads that if the Arabs actually CARED about their Palestinian brethren (who really are just Arabs themselves, there never was a Palestine), they’d do something serious about rebuilding the territories and dealing with the militants. But even if they did, the Middle East is a tough neighborhood and Egypt, et al are in a bind because THEY don’t want to have the troubles of the Palestinians worsen their own.
I can’t respect the Europeans or anyone else who condemn the Israelis at this point. They have to defend themselves and the Islamists will use anyone and everyone–especially their people–to protect themselves while shooting. In the end this is a battle between Israel and Iran, with Iran using the Palestinians as the proxy. They’ll need to be dealt with.
The only thing I can think about when I read/see this on the news and every where else.
A kid just lost his parents now he/she must make a choice: sword or pen….
Being how they really have no education I see a sword in their future
Paddy. Who cares if the CWC class WP as an Incendiary weapon? It’s still BANNED BY THE GENEVA TREATY to use it in areas where civilians are likely to get injured and Israel have definately not been discriminate when it comes to civilians.
Inb4 you try and say it was used for smoke cover, 6+ WP bombs over the one area is a lot more than is needed for smoke. (Watched the WP attacks live on Rattaman.)
Due to the nature of it and how it reacts when exposed to oxygen it’s as close to a chemical weapon as you are going to get without synthesising anything.
I can’t believe nobody caught this. IT IS ILLEGAL for a US citizen to participate in an Israel boycott. Our Zionist masters in Israel, who dictate much of US foreign policy have made it so.
Here’s a US gov website explaining it: http://tinyurl.com/7kkgva
Specifically , it is illegal for a US individual or business to refuse to do business with or buy a product from Israel if they are doing so to honor the Arab League boycott of Israel. They have an examples section of prohibited actions. If you were to even certify that the products you are selling someone was devoid of any Israel made good you are breaking the law. There are very stiff penalties. 10 year, $50,000 or more. Some might say that if someone comes up with a new boycott against Israel that would be different than existing calls for boycott. That’s wishful thinking, of course. In the same way the government channels defiant behavior into a the terrorist category you can be sure that and kind boycott compliance would be considered to honor the one boyott they have specifically outlawed. Actually, they have outlawed to whole range of boycotts. Take your pick.
I hate my government.
There are three Jims posting here. My post are 44,50 and 59. I know it must be very confusing for your Fox News demented brain, but try to cope.
@ #3 Dave. Actually the 6 Day War the Israelis attacked 1st. Seeing how The Arabs & Israelis have been fighting for Centuries for us in the West to think we can step & make it stop is kind of funny. There’s hate of both the sides & the mix of religion only makes it bloodier & more complicated.
# 64 Nihility said, “It’s still BANNED BY THE GENEVA TREATY to use it in areas where civilians are likely to get injured”
Umm, no. WP for smoke & illum isn’t banned anywhere.
Thanks for playing.
You might want to check out the relevant documents before posting though.
#66 Potenza:
“There’s hate of both the sides & the mix of religion only makes it bloodier & more complicated.”
That should be the quote of the day.
Paddy-O
Did you not bother reading my post? It definately was not used for smoke cover, far too much of it.
# 69 Nihility said, “It definately was not used for smoke cover, far too much of it.”
Apparently, you know nothing about conducting urban combat operations…
I can see why Israel is so paranoid about Iran getting the bomb. When they do get the bomb Israel days will be numbered. They better stock up on SPF 5000000 sun block.
Paddy-O
What experience do you have in urban combat operations?
Do if Hamas wins and kills Israelis, that’s Israel’s fault. If Israel fights back, they should end the cycle of violence, go bak to the negotiating table, have a ceasefire, etc, and Hamas still wins.
dude, hamas straps explosives on their own women and children and uses them as bombs.
what are they complaining about?
Wonder how many of you guys are in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FABqq_jjRRo
Makes me sick when i see so many people shut their eyes on the whole history of the issue before these past weeks and condemn one side (usually Palestinians) while failing to acknowledge the reasons behind the things being the way they are. For example, go read up on how Hamas got to win the election, or why the cease-fire was not renewed or what started the 1967 war…
Israel, Gaza and Hamas are trivial compared to the real problems. More pressing topics are the Russia/Ukraine pipeline spat, Mexico’s drug war – 5,000 dead in the last year -, and Pakistan’s coming civil war and how it will affect our mission in Afgahnistan.
Yes.
#76 Grog
I read about the Algerian conflict, in which the Algerians were trying to win their freedom from the French. One of the Algerian leaders was interviewed and he was criticized for using “terrorist” tactics like planting bombs in marketplaces, etc. He pointed out that the French had airplanes, bombs, and tanks, and he didn’t. If someone would give him airplanes, bombs, and tanks, he said he’d stop using the “terrorist” tactics. But if not, he’d work with what he had.
That’s not a direct quote, just a paraphrase from my memory. But it’s a good point.
Read up on Asymmetrical Warfare. “Terrorist” tactics are used in a lot of places.
Is it somehow more evil if a bomb explodes in a marketplace if it’s planted in a basket rather than falling from a plane?
# 79 Phydeau said, “If someone would give him airplanes, bombs, and tanks, he said he’d stop using the “terrorist” tactics.”
Yes, psychopaths always have a justification ready as to why it is good & okay to intentionally target women & children.
Look at the US revolution. We lacked military assets comparable to GB and that’s why we tried murdering women & children in England…
Oops.
One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. From what I remember of my history, some of the things the early Zionists did could be seen as terrorism. From Menacham Begin’s wikipedia page:
For several months in 1945–46, the Irgun’s activities were coordinated within the framework of the Hebrew Resistance Movement under the direction of the Haganah, however this fragile partnership collapsed following the Irgun’s bombing of the British administrative headquarters at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 91 people, including British officers and troops as well as Arab and Jewish civilians. The Irgun under Begin’s leadership continued to carry out operations such as the break in to Acre Prison, and the hanging of two British sergeants, Clifford Martin and Marvyn Paice, causing the British to suspend any further executions of Irgun prisoners. Growing numbers of British forces were deployed to quell the Jewish uprising, yet Begin managed to elude captivity, at times disguised as a rabbi. MI5 placed a ‘dead-or-alive’ bounty of £10,000 on his head after Irgun threatened ‘a campaign of terror against British officials’, saying they would kill Sir John Shaw, Britain’s Chief Secretary in Palestine. An MI5 agent codenamed Snuffbox also warned that Irgun had sleeper cells in London trying to kill members of British Prime Minister Clement Attlee’s Cabinet.
OK, one of you smart guys explain to me how Hamas are terrorists but Irgun isn’t. Explain to me how Israel holds the moral high ground.
Take your time.
# 82 Phydeau said, “OK, one of you smart guys explain to me how Hamas are terrorists but Irgun isn’t.”
Umm, okay. The Irgun aren’t currently anything (including terrorists) as they no longer exist.
There that wasn’t hard. You really couldn’t figure out the answer?
#42 Sinn Fein
“…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.”
The Palestinians are also Semitic. Were we anti-Semitic, we would just nuke the whole place and be done with it.
#83 Thanks for trying, Paddy-O. Got a good laugh out of that.
OK, anyone with a serious answer?