Aluf Benn's proposal for Israel's left to establish a base of domestic support for its positions is hopeless considering the brainwashing, ignorance, blindness, the good life, lack of opposition and increasing extremism of our society.
A single state would bury both the Palestinian national movement and the Zionist vision. People who view the boycott as 'saving Israel from itself' might find themselves living in a Masada.
When you boycott Israel, or reject the ideology on which it was founded, you are estranging yourself from much of the Jewish world.
We interviewed Norman Finkelstein, the noted scholar of the Israel/Palestine conflict, in Brooklyn on April 8 and followed up with email exchanges. The following text contains both oral and written responses to our questions.
Jeff SCHURKE: "Univ. of Massachusetts Grad Student Workers Endorse BDS Against Israel" (In These Times, April 21, 2016): click here!
Vijay PRASHAD: "America's Labor Unions Are Increasingly Standing with Palestine" (AlterNet, April 19, 2016): click here!
The Israeli government and its American allies have spent millions of dollars to destroy the credibility of the BDS advocates. It does not seem to have succeeded.
Press Release, April 19, 2016: "UMass Amherst Union of Graduate Student Workers Endorses BDS!" : click here!
During a three day (April 12-14) vote, by secret ballot, the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO/UAW2322) at University of Massachusetts in Amherst voted overwhelmingly (95%) in favor of adopting a resolution to stand in solidarity with Palestinian civil society and join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement.
Adri NIEUWHOF: "Dutch party votes for sanctions on Israel" (The Electronic Intifada, 18 April 2016): click here!
At its national congress on 16 April, the liberal party D66 – short for Democrats 66 – called on its lawmakers to promote European Union demands that Israel halt its construction of settlements on occupied lands as well as other violations of human rights. The D66 resolution – adopted by a 75 percent majority – states that if Israel does not heed the demands, the EU-Israel Association Agreement "could be (partially) suspended".
"Boycotting Israel is a free speech right" Palestinian Boycott Divestment Sanctions National Committee (BNC) (The Electronic Intifada, April 18, 2016): click here!
The global movement supporting the Palestinian people’s right to freedom, justice and equality has taken impressive steps into the political mainstream in recent years... Israel’s current government, its most racist ever, has dropped all pretenses of “enlightenment” and “democracy.”
Ali ABUNIMAH: "Sweden denies Israeli claim that it opposes BDS" (The Electronic Intifada, April 16, 2016): click here!
“As regards BDS, it is a civil society movement. Governments should not interfere in civil society organization views,” the spokesperson added.
Prof. Uri Ram, who heads the Israeli Sociological Society, urged colleagues to boycott academic institute in settlement of Ariel.