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Israel correctly fears its ‘delegitimizers,’ says leftwing member of Irish parliament

There was a Dublin demonstration the other day demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, and Richard Boyd Barrett, a member of the Irish parliament, called for boycott, divestment and sanctions, and the breaking off of diplomatic relations with Israel, so as to bring justice to Palestinians. At 5:00 he says:

There’s a particular word that they use about us: the people who don’t just come out for big atrocities. They call us the delegitimizers. This is the term that Israel uses. It’s a very accurate term. Because it’s one thing for them to have to deal with occasional mobilizations against this or that atrocity. What they fear most are the people who say, No no no, this isn’t just about this or that assault on Gaza, Israel is a dysfunctional racist apartheid state that needs to be internationally isolated and dismantled. That is what they fear more than anything else.

I appreciate Barrett’s honesty. Many on our side say that Israel has no legitimacy. And while I tend to be more laissez-faire (many states are racist and violent), I would point to Daniel Bell’s Vietnam-era guidelines for when a “political system” loses its legitimacy and stability, becoming dysfunctional. Among the factors: “The existence of an ‘insoluble problem’… The growth of private violence… Multi-racial or multi-tribal conflicts…” Israel meets several of those tests.

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Systematic killing of non jewish civilians does most of the delegitimising. Yossi Israeli thinks about Palestinians differently to the outside world and that is why all the killings are such a problem. Majoritarianism and chosenness do not fly outside Israel. Ya salaam.

We had another protest yesterday in Dublin.Numbers were down (500) but that was expected.

Yesterdays protest was focused on BDS and included a march through the popular shopping centres , such as Grafton Street.Jervis Street and several others.

Marchers entered shops carrying “Boycott Israel” signs and handed out leaflets that included a list of products from Israel / the Occupied Territories.

People seemed interested and passers by clapped and honked horns.

Won,t be easy , but perseverance and commitment will win out in the end.

The organizers should ask the people of Limerick about the best method for forming a boycott. It’s been quite a while, but it proved very effective at the time.

Go Ireland! Show them some Western countries still have some morals and ethics!

We are protesting downunder too.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/rallies-across-nz-condemn-israeli-attacks-gaza-6058433

Sadly, our prime minister john key, is being weak. Only the green party (~10% of vote) is active
http://www.3news.co.nz/Greens-call-for-Israeli-ambassador-to-leave-NZ/tabid/1607/articleID/355402/Default.aspx