Andrew Sullivan quotes Michael Koplow on the boycott legislation in Israel, then offers a rule:
"Israel cannot afford to erode its liberal democratic credentials much further."
And yet it does. Because that is what domestic politics in an increasingly religious and illiberal Israel demand. The only thing you can depend on: the American Jewish Establishment will always look the other way.
Thanks to Peter Voskamp.
This is basically Richard Witty’s biography.
The move to suppression of civil liberties is a horrible, and destabalizing momentum.
“The boycott law has the capability to do real and lasting damage to Israel by eroding its standing with Americans.” warns Michael Koplow. A true observation.
Sullivan (and you) though only go to the cynical, not to the constructive.
There is ample reason to “go to the cynical,” Richard.
Not only is this comment constructive, it is the truth:
“The only thing you can depend on: the American Jewish Establishment will always look the other way.”
The person who is cynical is you, Richard. The definition of cynical: “concerned only with one’s own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them.”
“The definition of cynical: “
Witty has the same relationships with definitions as the Red Queen.
Since America is the #1 country on the list when it come to appeasing apartheid Israel, the real question about the net effect of BDS and Israel’s response in the form of the anti-boycott law is whether or not it is a good or bad thing – in the long-term – for Israel’s “standing” in the US to be eroded.
Israel is descending into fascism at breakneck speed, and by it’s reckless use of the UN Security Council veto since the early 1970s the US is effectively short-circuiting the international justice system, the ‘brakes’ that could effectively prevent Israel from skidding out of control and imploding altogether.
When even zionist American jews start to acknowledge that Israel has begun to resemble pre-war Nazi Germany* it is time to abandon conventional thinking and understand the great urgency of the situation.
*When prominent Israeli rabbis announce that Jewish law prohibits renting apartments or homes to Arabs within Israel, we don’t need our enemies to proclaim that Zionism is racism; we have rabbinical rulings endorsing a racial policy that reminds many Jews of German policy toward the Jews in the pre-exterminationist years.
Jewish Journal: COUNTER-POINT: How best to support an imperfect Israel
A slightly different definition of cynical (Merriam-Webster):
” having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: as
a : contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives
b : based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest “
a risk/benefit analysis of continued u.s. support for the zionist entity israel?
the benefits?
empire-u.s.a./israel gains control of the mideast’s vast oil resources by way of mad beast zionist entity israel being in the midst of an arab/islamic world in which despots, in return for money & weapons, are willing to put empire’s interests before those of their own people
said money & weaponry being used to keep the people down
thereby allowing the mad beast to chew-up as much of palestine as it can digest, an amount which, to date, appears to be limitless
otherwise?
based on mutual respect and equality, empire would have to negotiate with the oil rich mideast nations, but by doing so, empire might not be an empire no more, and what would the rich and powerful who pull all the levers do then?
and the risks?
continued perpetual wars + global warming = doomsday
the answer being?
justice for palestine, whereupon, it’ll be up to us*, the what sort of world
*us, as in you are i, i am you, we are one
Actually, Richard, Sullivan’s observation was factual. Israel can keep “eroding its liberal democratic credentials” for quite a while. After all, “we” (I mean, Americans) do not such a bad job eroding our own liberal democratic credentials. Mind you, probably there are fewer people in USA who view themselves as liberals than those who think that “liberal” is a dirty word.
Thus a better question is: what are the domestic consequences of the trends that produced “boycott law”? As I see it, Israel is at war, and “war thinking” is winning, at divides the world into us, enemies, and who cares about them. And “war thinking” requires new “war campaigns”. So we have a campaign against the enemy within, the 5th column. It does not matter if opposition is mild or vehement, enemies must be found and fought.
This is the logic that led Stalin to annhilate “kulaks as the class” (rich or at least relatively rich peasants) and turn onto “good Communists. And the logic that equates “Leftists and Islamists”. Luckily, adherents of that logic in Israel do not need to shoot Leftists, they can simply vote. As we heard in a recent Israeli debate from leaders of Israel Beitenu, “they are all terrorists”.
And consequences are decreasing rationality in the government. And one problem with irrational policies is that the longer you avoid their consequences, the larger the eventual fall.