From Assaf Oron at dailykos:
Aluf Benn is a veteran Ha’aretz columnist. Don’t mistake him as an anti-Occupation maverick like Amira Hass or Gideon Levy; Aluf Benn embodies the Israeli consensus.
During the 2006 Lebanon war, for example, he sucked up to then-PM Olmert so bad, it hurt. After Olmert’s war-opening speech, Benn wrote (quoting from memory): "today a politician has turned into a statesman." Ya.
In short, Aluf Benn is not the type of Israeli columnist you’d expect to write this:
Only one thing does bother the Israelis, according to the polls: fear of a diplomatic embargo and an international boycott.
…as long as relations with the rest of the world are satisfactory, Israelis see no reason to emerge from indifference and listen to the president of the United States.
Sanctions and the International Criminal Court. These are what Israel fears and these, of course, are what the lobby so vigorously represses any discussion of. Any measures, in short, that would actually be effective in motivating Israel to make peace.
Here is proof that Israel seriously fears the possible consequences of the Goldstone report. It is now attempting to force the PA to drop its petition.
Tensions are mounting between Israel and the Palestinian Authority following Ramallah’s call on the International Court at The Hague to examine claims of “war crimes” that the IDF allegedly committed during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. The issue is already weighing in on the relations between the leadership of Israel’s defense and security establishment with their counterparts in the West Bank, and is part of a growing list of Israeli complaints about the behavior of PA officials.
Meanwhile, Israel has warned the Palestinian Authority that it would condition permission for a second cellular telephone provider to operate in the West Bank – an economic issue of critical importance to the PA leadership – on the Palestinians withdrawing their request at the International Court.
link to haaretz.com
This, clearly, is blackmail – another form of sanctions – that Israel is imposing on the PA. Clearly, Israel believes that such methods are effective.
I have come to agree with that statement by Aluf benn. It is true – nothing scares the israelis (not just the abstract israel) than overt withdrawal of love. Israeli politicians and politics aside, israel is an emotional place. They thrive on emotions turned inside out. It’s a strength – for being a great tool of logic preemption, and a weakness, for being so addictive. The emotionality of it all is what so many american jews found so irresistable, and what many others – jews and non-jews – so confounding. Against this backdrop, nothing is more traumatic than a boycott – of any sort. Especially one that’s taking root in countries israelis deeply admire (if don’t always say so). The scandinavians come to mind. And the US. To some extent England. The fuel on which israeli chutzpah runs (including that special brand of ‘blaming the victim” hubris they practice so well) is “love”. Love as evidenced by acceptance of the world. Seeing their worst rogues – individuals like Lieberman and Nethanyahu – feted and dined and quoted is what shivers of joy are made of over there. It confirms their low opinion of the world, even as they scheme to up the ante in the “getting away with it” game.
That’s why they fight any manifestation of BDS tooth and nail. The country is now going through what I consider SWS period (Scandinavian Withdrawal Syndrom). Turning Norwegians – those once considered the best and greatest nazi figthters heroes – into caricature anti-semites – is taking its toll. And America the reliable superpower that adopted israel as a precious pet cause – well, they elected Obama. And THAT is enormously threatening –
These are the reasons I support BDS – as targeted and individualized as anyone cares to make it. As I pointed out here to Witty before – there is no other way to bring Israel and israelis to their senses. No flattery and endless gentle cajoling will ever do the trick, since this just proves to the Israelis the world is as weak kneed as they always thought and they are right to despise it. But a flap with Sweden hurts deeply. Even after it’s blamed on muslim immigration.
I dunno, Danaa. I think there’s something in the Israeli mindset that likes to see their victim mentality confirmed. “See! They’re all anti-Semites! They’re all against us! We can only depend on ourselves, and we need more weapons, more barriers, more tanks, but it’s not our fault, they made us do it!
You are right about that, though it’s not only Israelis who have this mind set. It’s a common trait among paranoics – individuals and collectives. Also among teenagers – at their most alienated phase. And did I mention cults? This dynamics of self-fulfilled prophecies, is what psychologists would characterize as a deep–seated personality pathology.
But that’s the diagnosis. These days I’m interested in behavior modification, since a cure may be out of our reach. And withdrawal of affection is part of the behavior modification kit – as any alcoholic enabler knows. It can work in conjunction with other therapies only. And the effectiveness will depend on how deep the pathology is. ie, there’s always a danger that the paranoia goes deeper than the survival instinct. Which is something that cult deprogramers know about.
Let’s hope this is not the case here.
I was recently reading this link to jpost.com
about the Transfer Agreement that allowed (rich) Jews to escape Hitler’s Germany to Palestine. Regardless of the merits of this deal, what strikes me is the fact that a boycott of German goods was so effective that it brought the Germans to agree to it. A boycott, in fact, carried on only or primarily by Jews. Yet it hurt the German economy so badly that Nazi officials agreed to a deal with the Jews.
Boycotts can work.
The thing that you miss is the difference between scares and motivates.
The reason that Israelis fear isolation is that it is reminiscent of their history of anti-semitism. That was THE method by which anti-semitism was expressed.
Israelis are not compliant. Scares don’t generally motivate them to yeild.
Again, the BDS movement is promoted by some that are very clear on the specific conditions that they are objecting to (conditions that are doable by Israel – acceptance of Geneva Accords say), and there are others in leadership roles that are vague and include removal of Israel from the map as Israel.
So, a proponent of BDS that is seeking 67 borders is ill-advised to just blindly adopt BDS in general.
When the donkey eats all the carrots and gives back nothing but shit, it’s time for the stick.
This, after all, is the method the Israelis use on their Arab neighbors. Obviously they believe it works, so why shouldn’t it work on them?
“and there are others in leadership roles that are vague and include removal of Israel from the map as Israel.”
Who might they be Richard? Would you cae to name them?
Whatever the consequences, Israel is bringing itself down. If they can’t be stopped with boycotts and withholding of payment they might have to be stopped militarily. They must be stopped or we are looking at WW3.
This is a little over the top,but Israel is scary. They go around their neighborhood provoking punishing. They have a lot of atomic weaponry. They are belligerent. They are not half as clever as they think they are and are inordinately arrogant. Not a healthy mix.
The cowardice, the vanity, the sin of boycotting Israel
Live in this tainted Holy Land long enough, and you come to learn that there are two kinds of political activists, much as there are two kinds of artists.
The first kind, the kind who changes the world, points to something that has yet to have been seen, something that seriously needs to be seen, and cries out, “Look at this.”
The second kind, the kind who changes nothing, barks in a voice every bit as insistent, “Look at me.”
I was privileged this weekend to attend a marriage of art and activism of the first sort, the new film “Ajami.” Jointly directed by an Israeli-born Palestinian and a Jewish Israeli, spoken mostly in an Arabic salted with Hebrew, Ajami is an overwhelming work, clenched, compassionate, violent, perplexing, complex beyond facile comprehension. It is a creature of this place. It rings true.
link to haaretz.com
You have burned your credibility on this matter Richard, so don’t expect to be taken seriously. You are a fantaic Israeli apologist who is dihonest and dissingenuous. If it’s a sin to boycott Israel, it is a an even greater sin to blockade Gaza. If it vain to boycott Israel, it is a an even greater act of vanity If it is cowardly to boycott Israel, it is far more cowardly to blockade Gaza.
But you support the blockade. What does that make you Richard, appart from painfully dishonest?
Cohen’s piece is pathetic diatribe. What political activists in the Holy Land have changed the world? Nothing has changed in 62 years.
What about the cowardice, the vanity, the sin of blockading Gaza? Is tht not infinitely worse.
The post was by Bradley Burston.
Shingo,
I more heartily support the remedy to the blockade, which is the normalization of Hamas (by Hamas willingly joining the PA and submitting to non-revolutionary participation in the Palestinian constitution).
BDS is the means to keep the blockade in place, as it will escalate to war.
Richard, it doesn’t matter what the Palestinians do, Israel is keeping the blockade in place no matter what. The blockade isn’t about stopping rocket attacks, it’s about starving the Gazans into submission and making more room for settlements. Or have you forgotten that there are Israelis talking about moving back into Gaza?
The BDS movement won’t have any direct effect on the blockade of Gaza. There are only two things that will — one, some entity, like the EU, grows a pair and sends a navy to confront the Israeli navy and end the siege and protect legitimate economic traffic; or two, the Israeli government collapses under its own weight.
One does note that BDS speeds up the latter.
Richard,
The normalization of Hamas was amply demonstrated duing the 2008 ceasfire, which they observed “:very carefully” until Isrsel vilated it. Israel had agreed tro lift the blockade as part fo the agreement, but as usual, went backon their word.
Hamas tried to normalize relations with the PA in 2006, but Israel derailed the talks by formenting the coup, via Fatah, to overthrow Hamas.
The blockade remains in place in spite of BDS, not becasue of it, but I am glad you admit that Israel woudl use teh BDS to further punish the Palestinians.
Witty, “the sin of boycotting Israel”
Are you telling us that we will estrange ourselves from God if we avoid Israeli products? Sure sounds like your are. If this is the case, you are a raving loony. I didn’t realize that you are so devout as to think that Israel is sacred enterprise even for goys.
Again, BDS is the OPPOSSITE of what will evoke change in Israel or towards Israel.
Thats if you are serious about making change.
Nothing else has enoked change in Israel. In fact, all the molly conddling and diplomacy that you have prescribed has only convinced the right wing in Israel that they can do and get away with whatever they want.
Clearly, they don’t take Obama seriously. Netenyahu has just humlited him.
Did you read Phil’s post a couple of days ago, describing the Obama strategy as to gain sufficient support among centrist Jews to get more assertive in ACTUAL negotiations, rather than only the preamble?
Centrists: That’s what’s wrong with Obama’s approach to politics. He has undermined any decent chance for substantive change by pandering to the middle.
Shingo,
The first intifada evoked change. Madrid and Oslo occurred even shortly after the PLO sided with Iraq that shelled Israeli cities from 800 miles away.
The Hamas terror wave and then the second intifada evoked confusion and condemnation.
The 2006 Hezbollah war and the 2008 Gaza war convinced Israelis that the fanatics controlled, and that they could not let up.
So, when solidarity sides with the fanatics (Hamas and Hezbollah – thank you Norman), they make any real consented peace that much more distant.
“The 2006 Hezbollah war and the 2008 Gaza war convinced Israelis that the fanatics controlled, and that they could not let up.”
Um…. excuse me? I hope by “fanatics” you are refering to the IDF which killed thousands of civilians and left thousands more crippled, homeless, orphaned or some combination thereof, cumulatively, between 2006 and 2008.
“Did you read Phil’s post a couple of days ago, describing the Obama strategy as to gain sufficient support among centrist Jews to get more assertive in ACTUAL negotiations, rather than only the preamble?”
Yes and since then Netenyahu came to Washington and stuck another thumb in Obama’s eye, proving that assertive in ACTUAL negotiations wil yield no change.
Yeah, because BDS accomplished absolutely nothing in Israel’s close ally, apartheid South Africa.
Richard,
To set the record straight, the 2006 war was against Lebanon. Israel responded to the cross border skirmish by bombing Lebanon civlian infrastructure and as the war continued and the IDF were making no inroads into Hebollah, Israel escalated to attacking civlians, Olmert reveald to the Wonigrad Comission that the war had been planned 6 months in advance, just like the Gaza massacre.
Madrid had nothign to do with the Palestinians.
Hamas and Hezbollah both exist because Israel essentialyl crated them either by financing them (inteh case of Hamas) or by their illegal 18 year occupation, which created a resitance (Hezbollah).
The fear is real, not because the boycott will right a wrong or is a legitimate act of scial pressure. There is no merit to a bankrupt premise. The boycott is nothing more than malicious pressure directed at an innocent nation. I view the boycott attempt as gang rape, in Israel’s case the poll shows the percentage of Jews that feel the West is the only thing keeping the rapists at bay. Nice of you jackals to slaver for its enactment.
Michael,
You must be the last remaining Israel applologist who belivieves, or expects others to accept that Israel is the victim in this conflict, much less the innocent party. Israel has always been a criminal , terrorist, apartheid entity, though it is now beyond question.
Israel is not being raped, but is raping and pillaging Palestine to steal land and resources. It starts wars for no reason other than to intimidate and humiliate it’s neighbors and has been exposed as a fanatical regime that is a threat to the world.
Perhaps you came to this blog hoping to find enough fools to believe your tripe, but you’re fresh out of luck.
Michael is here to make Witty seem reasonable.