The proposed boycott of Ahava Dead Sea Products is based on hatful assumptions. Open Shahadah Street is an extreme fringe organisation that is not concerned with peace so much as it is concerned with the destruction of the Jewish state. The Boycott campaign or BDS of Israel is not by any stretch concerned with a peaceful resumption to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. By its actions and words the BDS campaign has been shown to be a proponent of the destruction of the Jewish State. Boycotts of Israel are aimed at the delegitimization of the Jewish State as a whole. The boycott campaign aims at anything Israeli and in some cases anything Jewish. Organisation such as Open Shahadah street`s request for divestment and boycott of the Israeli company Ahava should be opposed in the strongest terms.
Here are some statements by BDS campaigners: Ronnie Kasrils, a former anti-apartheid activist turned anti-Israel activist, has made the objectiveclear: "BDS represents three words that will help bring about the defeat of Zionist Israel and victory for Palestine." Ahmed Moor, another prominent BDS activist has it even clearer: "So BDS does mean the end of the Jewish state". ( i am not going to expand on the basic Human right that Zionism encompasses. It is the subject of a essay in the future.)
Boycotts of Israel go against the actions and needs of the Palestinians themselves. Currently the Palestinian Authority does approximately 3 billion dollars worth of trade each year with Israel. The Palestinian Ambassador to South Africa recently spoke at a South African Union of Jewish Students Event. This is contrary to the education boycott that organisation that claim to represent the Palestinian people impose internationally. The Palestinian lobby in South Africa urged the Palestinian Ambassador not to accept the saujs invitation to a debate based on the same accusation that are being used to try manipulate your company. Israel is the only functioning democracy in the Middle East. Women and minorities have more rights in Israel than in any other middle east state. Israel has the freest media and the most open political system in the middle east. In Israel women have exactly the same rights as men, something foreign to the region. Kalid Abu Tomoe, an Arab Israeli journalist works for the Jerusalem post because he cant work as a journalist in any other middle east nation without being subject to anti-freedom restrictions on his writting. He has said on many occasions that he would rather live in the Jewish
Israel than in any other Middle East nation.
Ismail Khalid a Bedouin Israeli diplomat says that he is proud of the achievements of his young country. He says there are problems but for a country that is only 60 years old Israel has done tremendously well. Especially taken in light of the type of regimes that populate the Middle East at the moment. Ismail Khalid says Israel can be proud of its democracy, human rights record, technological advances as well as many other achievements.
The accusations of apartheid are totally unfounded and based on irrational hate rather than proper intellectual discourse. Both Khalid Abu Tomoe and Ismail kalidi will vigorously fight the irrational claim of apartheid. Israel is committed to a peaceful negotiated settlement between Israel and the Arabs. Israel is currently sitting at the negotiating table waiting for the Palestinians to sit down and discuss a peaceful resolution. Israel has time and again made concrete steps to end the conflict and live in peace. These include, among others, the 1968 appeal for a land for peace deal. The Arabs rejected with the infamous three no`s of Khartoum. Israel faithfully signed the Oslo accords of 1993 and kept its part of the deal. Israel removed its soldiers and began the process of handing over control of the western bank of the Hashemite kingdom to the Palestinian authority. The response from the PA was vastly increased terrorism, further hate education of Palestinian youth and continued promotion of armed resistance. Again in 2000 Prime Minster Barak offer 97% of the west bank and land transfers to make up the other 3%. Yassir Arafat declined and initiated the 2nd intifada. The current situation of check points and restrictions of entry to Israel for Arabs is a direct result of the terror campaign launched in 2001. Israel has shown time and again its willingness to dismantle checkpoints and easy restrictions is proved by the removal of checkpoints as soon as security situations improve. The recent activities in Gilo are a real indication of Israel’s willingness to remove security barriers when security situations improve. There is a direct relationship between terrorism directed as Israeli civilians and security measures that are restrictive.
Israel desperately wants peace. Israel understands the requirements to achieve peace but is at this time unable to find a partner for peace. Israel will continue to sue for peace in the hope that a Palestinian leader will emerge with the courage to make peace with the Jews.
Josh Schewitz writes in his individual capacity and does not neccesarily represent views of SAUJS
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