(New Jersey Jewish News) Andrew Silow-Carroll - The most doctrinaire BDSers repel me because they refuse to support a two-state solution. "Moderates" in the movement invariably put all the blame and responsibility on Israel. The tendency to single out Israel is also suspicious. The list of countries with bitter ethnic conflicts - starting with China, Russia, and every Muslim country - is long and getting longer, and you seldom see boycotts aimed at any of them. In the end, BDS is a terrible idea - not just for Israel, but for the Palestinians. Demonstrations against an Israeli dance company tell Palestinian nationalists that they have supporters abroad, but paint an exaggerated picture. The one-sided nature of BDS lulls Palestinians into thinking that time and momentum are on their side. Israelis have made peace - with Egypt, with Jordan - when Arab leaders are willing to make bold conciliatory gestures that directly address Israeli fears. BDS sends Palestinians exactly the opposite message: Don't give up your maximalist dreams - Israel will collapse under the weight of negative world opinion.
2014-11-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive