BDS Movement, Hateful Folly, Not Irish Thinking

Jewish People Are Rightly Concerned

The efforts for a Palestine Nation are so full of corruption and exploitation. The only real friends Palestinians have are the Israelis which they hate.

There is a foolish and racist movement to boycott, divest and impose sanctions on Israel for supposedly being an apartheid state. It is all nonsense yet it creates an avenue to foster hate and disfavor for Israel while supposedly pushing for Palestine. I am heavily critical of this movement for it fosters lies and lopsided misinformation against Israel. (So are others, https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2018/07/bds-and-terrorism-are-one-hate-network-daniel-greenfield/ and https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2016/04/bds-movements-terror-ties-ari-lieberman/ and https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2016/01/bds-ferguson-columbia-u-panel-takes-aim-israel-mara-schiffren/)

Yes, Israel does make mistakes here and there which need to be addressed, yet even the most blatant anti-Semite knows the attacks on Israel are too idiotic and deadly. Israel is under persistent attack to the point such attacks are ubiquitous, boring, and rarely reported. Example: President Biden speaks in the Middle East and Israel is attacked (https://www.foxnews.com/world/four-rockets-gaza-biden-israel).

The Palestinian Cause is based on a Roman word given to the Roman Province. The word Palestine is not Arabic. Yet, with the existence of Israel, Arab intolerance bloomed. Israel was blamed for every domestic problem an Arab state had. Arabs basically propped up the idea of a Roman province (later it was the British Mandate). Yet, the Palestinians could have had their own state, but their leaders were completely corrupt because they were more interested in getting foreign money instead of establishing Palestine, which they claimed to want. This went on for decades. The Palestinian Cause is a lot like Murphy’s Law. If something bad can go wrong, it will. 

I have some Irish heritage. My last name betrays me on this matter. I have been to Belfast and seen the absurdity of sectarian violence and the idiocy of peace walls and distorted nationalism. Yet I know of Irish Patriot Michael Collins and his success in establishing the Republic of Ireland.

During the time period, 100 years ago, Jewish and Irish Americans were compatriots in support of self-determination for Ireland and Israel. The support from Irish Americans for Ireland has always been of grand scale and passion. Collins engaged in conflict with the British, forcing them into negotiation. He realized, the whole island of Ireland would not be relinquished from British rule and he took a compromise creating a free Irish Republic yet it resulted in the infamous Troubles of “Northern Ireland”. David Ben-Gurion did the same for Israel but with a different set of tactics.  The Palestinians have no such leaders. The Arabs never wanted true peace. They merely wanted to irritate. What is called the Palestinian State amounts to an Indian Reservation of Arab poverty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Palestine).  Jordan is where most Palestinians live and could rename itself Palestine but this is yet another argument (https://www.meforum.org/3121/jordan-is-palestinian).

The BDS Movement is nothing but a propaganda engine with an idiotic strategy. Boycotts rarely work unless two different groups are economically dependent upon each other, but Israel has no such worries. In fact, Arab countries are happy to trade with Israel as long as such trade is kept quiet. In Nebraska, some in our local Jewish communities support LB845, the Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act which seeks to ban state departments from divesting from Israel. I understand the concern but I am neither for nor against the bill. I think such proposals exaggerate the effectiveness of boycotts.  At the same time, I think such legislation may evade the real danger of BDS, the sullening of the reputation of Israel. Also, such legislation appears to be more about politics instead of economic effectiveness.

Support LB 845 if you want to, but I think a completely different and more effective tactic is warranted and preferable. There are plenty of investment firms in Omaha and many of them talk on KFAB, often about retirement. They need to know how and why to invest in Israel and how to make a profit while understanding the lies of BDS. Stocks are really low right now and investors can get in on the ground floor. BDS should be leveraged to the advantage of Israel. People like Israel. Americans visit Israel. But, do Americans know how to invest in Israel? What mutual fund should I choose? I bet if I call those finance guys on KFAB, they would not have a recommendation. Such engagement with the public would produce positive results for Israel with every interaction.

As for the Palestinians and their supporters, go to Belfast and understand a different conflict and how peace was made possible.  President Bill Clinton did because Irish men like Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams sought peace. Peace is possible.