rabbisedley

I'm trying to read Omar Barghouti's book entitled Boycott, Divestement, Sanctions. It is really not easy reading such material. But even in the first few pages there are some sentences which should be publicised to all those who think that BDS is interested in creating peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

He writes:

The fact that the United States got mired in a seeming indefinite "war on terror" (which should aptly be called "the mother of all terror," as it is the most egregious and immoral form of state terror, shedding any veneer of respect for international law, and simultaneiously a cause of much terror by fanatic groups in many countries), causing death and destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan of genocidal proportions...

Clearly there are many Americans (and others) who do believe that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong, or have failed in their goals (which were never really made clear from the outset). But how many actually believe that the USA is the mother of all terror, or is the most immoral form of State terror, or is to be blamed for terror of fanatic groups? How many remember that the "War on Terror" was only launched AFTER 9/11. Is America also to be blamed for 9/11? What about other groups that existed before 9/11?

Barghouti also writes:

In a historic moment of collective consciousness, and informed by almost a century of struggle against Zionist settler colonialism, the overwhelming majority in Palestinian civil society issued the Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

Leaving aside the bald-faced lie that BDS represents the overwhelming majority in Palestinian civil society, Barghouti here admits that BDS is a continuation of almost a century of struggle against Zionist settler colonialism. A century ago was 1905. There was no State of Israel. There was no call for a Palestinian State (since at that time "Palestine" was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1922 it passed to British control, and the British separated the land into "Palestine" and "Transjordan"). There were no Zionists, no settlers, no colonialism.

Barghouti couches this goal in language of "A secular democratic state" in place of the current Jewish State of Israel and the Palestinian territories. However, when you read the actual words he writes, you see that his intent is that all the Palestinian refugees (who according to him number in the millions) would be entitled to vote, but the Zionists who colonized the country after 1948 would not have the right to vote. And the exitence of a Jewish state is itself a demonstration of apartheid according to Barghouti (but please don't mention to him that there are many Muslim states in the world, and many Christian countries. Apparently it is only a Jewish state which is inherently racist - not that he is anti-Semitic or anything).

Except that it is all bluff. BDS does not oppose specific policies or Jewish control of certain territories. BDS opposes the existence of a Jewish State, their aim is the destruction of the State of Israel. 100 years is perhaps an oblique reference to the Arab riots of 1920, 1929 and 1936, where the Arabs sought to end "Zionist colonialism" by massacring Jews. This is the ultimate goal of BDS.

Is that something that most of their supporters agree with?