July 08, 2015
It is hard to think of two politicians in the
world whose reputation for insincerity and political expediency is as high as
American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. So when they both read out of the same messaging book on
international criticism of Israeli policies and boycott, divestment and
sanctions moves against its colonization and subjugation of Palestinians, it
probably means we should pay attention, because this is going to become a major
media theme in the months ahead.
Sadly, but predictably, they both distort the
truth about precisely why and how people, organizations and governments around
the world increasingly criticize the illegal practices of the Israeli state,
such as colonizing Palestinian lands. They unfortunately lie and distort when
they claim the world and the Arabs seek to vilify Israel simply because it
represents Jewish people, when the truth is that the world and the Arab
governments are hard at work behind the scenes trying to find a way to relaunch
the 2002 Arab Peace Plan that aims to achieve a permanent peace agreement with
the state of Israel and all the millions of Jews it represents.
The Israeli government worked closely with major
elements of the American political system in the past two years to try and
block or significantly modify the current agreement being negotiated with Iran
on nuclear issues and sanctions. That attempt seems to have failed, as a
nuclear/sanctions agreement appears to be imminent, for which we should all
give thanks. It is likely that Israel will now try to achieve the kinds of
policy reversals with boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) moves around the
world that it was not able to achieve on the Iran issue.
In most cases, the Israeli government and its
parrot-like apologists and cheerleaders in the West, such as most American
presidential candidates, try to frame the BDS movement as an anti-Semitic hate
movement that dislikes Jews simply for being Jews, and wants to delegitimize
and discredit Israel simply because it is Israel. Having failed to convince the
world that Iran is as dangerous as Hitler, and that Hamas is as dangerous as
al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), their focus now will
include an attempt to portray BDS as a new form of anti-Semitic blind hatred
that only seeks to destroy Israel and deny Jews anywhere a normal life.
The measurable, tangible impact of the BDS
movement on Israel’s economy and wellbeing is not immense, but it is a reality.
More importantly, it seems to be picking up momentum around the world,
including in Europe and North America. Clinton and Netanyahu both speak out
forcefully on this issue. Clinton earlier this week wrote to Haim Saban, a
leading Jewish supporter of political causes in the United States, and
criticized comparisons that are widely being made between Israel and the
apartheid regime in South Africa. She sought to work with Saban and others to,
“reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against
further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel."
She framed this within the context of what saw
as anti-Semitism being on the rise around the world, and said this is the time
“to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish
people.”
Hillary Clinton should stop lying. The BDS
movement that includes divestment and boycott moves by leading American
churches and European banks and even some governments is not trying to
delegitimize Israel; it is trying to stop Israel’s criminal, exploitative and
oppressive behavior in occupied Palestinian lands, and against Palestinians
inside Israel proper and in exile.
The Arab world, through its governments, has
come to terms with the reality of Israel in the form of the 2002 Arab Peace
Plan, and efforts continue behind the scenes to explore how to relaunch this
initiative that offers Israel, Palestine and all Arab states the opportunity to
coexist in peace and, more importantly, with equal rights. The BDS movement
does not take a stand on these issues, but rather focuses on using legitimate,
non-violent political pressure to curtail Israeli practices, such as colonial
settlements, that are widely seen around the world as being contrary to
international law and convention. This is the same approach that Israel and
Clinton and pals have used for years to pressure Iran, for example, to comply
with international conventions and UN resolutions.
When the same approach is applied to Israeli
criminality, it is called anti-Semitism and an attempt to delegitimize Israel,
which clearly it is not. The good news is that the Netanyahu-Clinton approach
of using intimidation and accusations of anti-Semitism do not succeed any more,
because the global momentum is moving towards the reasonable position that
should be applied to all countries: support their right to exist in peace and
security within their recognized borders, but oppose their criminal behavior
against others that goes against prevailing global norms and laws. No country
in the world, including Israel, should be exempt from this standard.
Rami G. Khouri is published twice weekly in
the Daily Star. He was founding
director and now senior policy fellow of the Issam Fares Institute for Public
Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut. On
Twitter @ramikhouri.
Copyright
©2015 Rami G. Khouri -- distributed by Agence Global