The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #163483   Message #3902557
Posted By: Steve Shaw
29-Jan-18 - 09:24 AM
Thread Name: BS: Trump Station in Old Jerusalem
Subject: RE: BS: Trump Station in Old Jerusalem
Still, as the ADL Web page on BDS says, at least a portion of BDS seeks "the demonization and delegitimization of Israel." That's a legitimate viewpoint, I think."

I completely disagree and that is exactly the kind of statement that feeds into attempts to make out any criticism AT ALL of Israel to be antisemitic. The BDS website front page states:

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.

Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law.

BDS is now a vibrant global movement made up of unions, academic associations, churches and grassroots movements across the world. Eleven years since its launch, BDS is having a major impact and is effectively challenging international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.


The BDS movement has no interest in wiping Israel off the map or of criticising Jews because they are Jews. It is all about fighting the injustices meted out to Palestinians that I note you recognise. It calls for sanctions and boycotts to be applied in order to get the Israeli regime to stop doing the things that you tell me you find just as outrageous as I do. If you can find a single antisemitic statement on the BDS website or coming from anyone at all speaking on behalf of the movement, let's be having it. At least two people on this forum use easy accusations of antisemitism whenever we dare to criticise the actions of the regime. Don't fall into that same lazy habit. An accusation of antisemitism is a very serious matter and you should be prepared to defend making that accusation by way of presenting us with solid facts to back it up. If you've seen anything at all coming from BDS that appears to demonise or delegitimise Israel in general terms outside of the remit of the movement, telling us about it would be a start. That remit will clearly include criticism of the actions of the regime but will not include criticising Jews, their culture, their religion or their right to live in Israel or anywhere else.