Its that time of year when I find myself boycotting Israeli produce. Its true it might not all come from the illegal settlements, but how can I tell, so I boycott it all. Then theres Netanyahu, Israeli leader. He says this amounts to anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism - an act of malice of one sort or another against someone of Jewish identity, because they are Jewish. Lets consider whether Benjamin Netanyahu could be right about this. The Israeli occupation to some, and the illegal seizure of Palestinian occupied land alongside the eviction to an unknown fate of the former Palestinian occupants. I call this an act of land piracy, no different from any similar act of seizure on the high seas. If taking land in this way is illegal, then the produce that Israelis seek to sell for profit to keep for themselves is profit from an illegal act, or the proceeds of criminal activity. Apparently Benjamin Netanyahu not only objects to my boycott stance, but insists I collude at the risk of being called anti-Semitic if I do not buy Israeli produce. That almost sounds like a form of racketeering. Buy our produce or well call you anti-Semitic and seek sanctions. If refusing to support this activity is anti-Semitism, then so is boycotting the fruits of human slavery in the garment businesses of Bangladesh, except the poor of Bangladesh are not Jewish, but then again, the boycott is not an act against Jewish people because they are Jewish, or Bangladeshis because they are Moslems (90% of the population), it is the simple decision not to support the actions of Israelis and Bangladeshis because human rights abuses and violations of international laws are wrong, and refusing to boycott, or choosing not to support those who expose other humans to abuse and suffering, like slavery in the Bangladeshi garment industry, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the religion of the perpetrators, unless of course Israel seeks to convince the world that all Israelis are natural born criminals, so that discriminating against the illegal or unreasonable acts of one Israeli is an act of defiance against all Israelis and against Judaism, except this cannot be true, because there are many good Israelis and even more good Jewish people who deplore some of what goes on in Israel. Not only is it false, it is unjust and defames the name of many Israelis who deplore the behaviour of their government and the settlers. Perhaps these Israelis are also anti-Semites then? It is a very serious matter for Netanyahu to distort the meaning of anti-Semitism in this way. This seriously dilutes and undermines the meaning of the term, and risks marginalising its historical significance. Israelis should beware the consequences of diluting and distorting the meaning of the term anti-Semitism by attaching it to any act that displeases Israel, including even minor irritations, particularly when there is no connection to anything remotely Jewish in the conduct, and we should also consider that the behaviour of Israel and some Israelis clearly acts as a major source of anti-Semitic sentiment merely by behaving in ways that undermine respect for the Jewish people, sometimes breeding resentment and even enmity. This is not the way to preserve the legal and emotional value of the term anti-Semitism, nor to set standards of behaviour that will convince people everywhere to respect and admire Jewish people and want to support them whenever a genuine case of anti-Semitism appears. So on with the boycott, and far from an act of anti-Semitism, I would argue it is in a sense anti-Semitic to not boycott produce from the illegal settlements, because not boycotting this behaviour and the fruits of the behaviour risks undermining the values and beliefs of Israelis and Jews who oppose this behaviour, and fails to support Jews and Israelis who stand against their own government, by speaking out and placing themselves at risk of sanctions. In effect my boycott of these fruits of illegal conduct supports Israelis and Jews who also stand up against this. It should be humanity and international opinion that decides what amounts to anti-Semitism and sets the tone, not those intending to use a matter of great historical significance, suffering and tragedy to conduct commerce, and impose political coercion.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:04:41 +0000