I was reading a letter by someone who opposed the BDS movement to stop Israeli Aggression.
The author complained about how BDS would affect people personally.
The author also complained that BDS proponents are too quick to "lay all of the blame" on the side of Israel.
Obviously it is a complicated situation.
But it should also be obvious that Israel has overwhelming political, economic, and military power.
Surely there are aspects of Palestinian resistance that are not helpful, like suicide bombings, or indiscriminate launching of rockets.
But how else can the Palestinian people resist? They are so poor, and have so little political and economic power.
How BDS affects people in a place that is being boycotted, divested from, or sanctioned should not be the primary concern. The primary concern should be raising awareness (via BDS and other educational methods) of how and where the perpetrator is causing harm.
These same principles apply to the USA. The USA causes tremendous and terrible harm in the world. It would make sense for internationals to protest against US Aggression, wars, and other crimes, via boycott, divestment, and sanction.
Would it affect people personally in the USA? Yes probably, at least if it caught on. But first we need to ask how the actions of the USA are affecting people around the world.
Smoky Olympic Mountains
Wednesday 6 September 2011
p.s. Thanks to the anonymous person who has been posting comments recently. They are provocative.
Berd, what's your opinion of these violent right-wing religious fanatics?
ReplyDeletehttp://cloud.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Palestinian.jpg
Troubling.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills/5690750555/
If the Palestinians had the power you attribute to Israel, do you think ANY Jews at all would be alive in the Middle East? Might does not make right, but strong does not make wrong, either. The fact that Israel has power is irrelevant in determining fault. Fact: The Palestinians elected Hamas, which promotes genocide. How do you reconcile that with your so-called efforts to promote peace?
ReplyDeleteIs it also a fact that Hamas promotes genocide? I am not so sure about that.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you say about Hamas, it is popularly accepted that there is something wrong with Hamas, at least in so far as the circles of socio-economic-politically powerful go.
Interestingly about Hamas, I heard that the US government was active in sponsoring/supporting an assassination by members of Fatah against members of Hamas, which resulted in Hamas gaining popularity amongst people in the Gaza Strip.
So...Wouldn't there be some convenience in having a Hamas government, so that people of the Gaza Strip can just be denied so easily?