Adelson's anti-BDS summit will fail because he offers no alternative to occupation

[Israeli]

To fight BDS, Jewish Americans must articulate an alternative vision for Israel's future that progressive students can get behind.

By Benjy Cannon

The upcoming anti-BDS summit hosted by Sheldon Adelson and other Jewish patrons is the latest episode in a now familiar saga. This saga is one in which major voices in the American Jewish community pour valuable resources into combatting anti-Israel activities. Yet, as good as their intentions may be and as promising as the initiatives that emerge from this convention may seem, I strongly suspect they will prove futile.

Why? Because no amount of money or secret conferences will dent the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for as long as the people behind them refuse to offer a credible alternative to what's really eroding Israel’s reputation: the occupation.

Raphael Magarik, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote last year that his experience fighting BDS opened his eyes to the self-defeating nature of mainstream pro-Israel activism. You “cannot convince progressives that Palestinians are responsible for their own suffering," wrote Magarik.

He’s right. Apart from hard-core anti-Israel activists, BDS draws much of its support from a truthful and widely shared sentiment among students: that the Israeli military occupation of millions of Palestinians living beyond the Green Line has to end. Trying to convince would-be BDS supporters that the occupation doesn’t exist, or that it isn’t a violation of human and civil rights, is a waste of time.

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/the-jewish-thinker/.premium-1.659366

[Israeli]

1. continued....

As the National Board president of J Street U, the campus arm of J Street, I’ve seen a story play out countless times on countless campuses. It goes like this: A student group or coalition of groups proposes a BDS resolution. Pro-Israel groups form a coalition against it, which pays lip service to peace and a two-state solution, but never actually objects to the occupation or offers a good way for students to positively advocate for a resolution to the conflict. The BDS resolution passes, or perhaps it fails, but only by a small margin.

Each year, new campuses endorse BDS, and each year the American Jewish community twiddles its thumbs as Israel elects increasingly hawkish governments, settlements continue to grow, and the occupation deepens.

Members of the American Jewish community are left with a choice: support the status-quo of occupation and oppose BDS, or support BDS and oppose the status quo. For your average progressive student, the latter choice is a no brainer.

But there must be another way. Leaders of our communities have to articulate a path for those of us who want to see a Jewish and democratic future for Israel without the blight of the occupation. We want to be able to oppose the occupation and oppose BDS.

Unfortunately, we cannot expect Adelson's conference to find a solution to that end. Adelson is not interested in opposing the occupation. This a man who has called the Palestinians a made up nation who exist only to destroy Israel; a man who has suggested that the United States should drop nuclear bombs on parts of Iran, and publicly mused that it would be no big deal if Israel ceased to be a democracy. His views on Israel may be miles away from those of most American Jews, but respected leaders in our community have no problem taking his money – and, with that, his agendas – to "fight" BDS. They do not realize, or perhaps they simply ignore the fact, that Adelson’s money dooms their anti-BDS efforts to being indifferent to (or in denial of) the occupation – and, therefore, to irrelevance.

J Street U, unlike other major pro-Israel, anti-BDS campus groups, was not invited to this summit. Our organization has advocated tirelessly for strong leadership in the American community toward a two-state solution and an end to the occupation. Clearly, those who convened this meeting would rather stick their heads in the sand than confront challenging truths.

But if American Jewish leaders want to succeed, there is a truth they must confront: Convincing liberal college students to reject BDS requires recognizing the occupation and touting the promise of a more just and democratic Israel. If they are serious about defeating BDS, American Jewish leaders must forfeit Adelson's money for the sake of engaging in honest conversations that generate positive results. And the outcome of these conversations must offer a credible alternative to BDS, articulating a vision for Israel’s future – and a path for working toward it – that progressive students can get behind.

There is no other way to confront BDS, and no other way to secure Israel’s future.

Benjy Cannon is the President of J Street U. He holds a B.A. in Government and Politics and Philosophy from the University of Maryland. Follow him on Twitter @benjycannon.

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/the-jewish-thinker/.premium-1.659366

[shira]

2. The occupation isn't eroding Israel's reputation. Israel pulled out of Lebanon....

...and Gaza, and that's when the BDS movement began. In fact, the demonization & delegitimization campaign started earlier at the Durban conference of 2001 right after Arafat rejected a peace plan that would have ended the occupation.

[Mosby]

3. its just more of the same old one sided nonsense

Where the Palestinians play no role in the conflict other than victims. The author can't even bring himself to use the word "negotiations", instead of dealing with the actual reality of the situation he says this meaningless drivel:

But there must be another way. Leaders of our communities have to articulate a path for those of us who want to see a Jewish and democratic future for Israel without the blight of the occupation. We want to be able to oppose the occupation and oppose BDS.

The other way is negotiating a settlement you fucking idiot.

[Israeli]

4. " negotiating a settlement " ......

Yeah right ....

With who ????.........

[Vid] Wake-up Call: Meet Israel’s new government

The ministers comprising Israel’s 34th government are the most right wing ever, almost entirely oppose the two-state solution, and have a rich history of legislative attacks on human rights organizations and democratic institutions. Ami Kaufman has a wake-up call for you.

[Mosby]

5. If the RW Israeli gov won't negotiate then call them out

put something on the table, if it's reasonable people will support it.

Why don't they at least do that?

I'll tell you why, because as much as the current Israeli gov is right wing, which frankly is nothing like the American and European right wing, the Palestinians government is way more right wing to the point that they can't stand democracy, pluralism and egalitarianism. They think that their propaganda will lead to the the world "turning" on Israel and they will get what they want, which is Israel, the west bank and gaza.

They have people like you helping them, which does nothing other than reinforce their fucked up beliefs.

How many Palestinians will fit in your house and Kibbutz Israeli?

Are you ready for success?

[Israeli]

6. Depends on how you define success Mosby....

Success for me would be the destruction of the dream of a Greater Israel ...an end to the messianic madmen of The Wild West Bank .....an end to those that took upon themselves to murder peace on the night of November 4, 1995.

An end to the occupation .

Two States based on this Mosby:

Putting an end to the occupation,

Accepting the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent and sovereign State of Palestine in all the territories occupied by Israel in 1967[*],

Reinstating the pre-1967 "Green Line" as the border between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine (with possible minor exchanges of territories agreed between the parties); the border will be open for the free movement of people and goods, subject to mutual agreement.
Establishing Jerusalem as the capital of the two states, with East Jerusalem (including the Haram al-Sharif) serving as the capital of Palestine and West Jerusalem (including the Western Wall) serving as the capital of Israel. The city is to be united on the physical and municipal level, based on mutual agreement.

Recognizing in principle the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, allowing each refugee to choose freely between compensation and repatriation to Palestine and Israel, and fixing by mutual agreement the number of refugees who will be able to return to Israel in annual quotas, without undermining the foundations of Israel.

Safeguarding the security of both Israel and Palestine by mutual agreement and guarantees.
Striving for overall peace between Israel and all Arab countries and the creation of a regional union.

Source : http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/about/aims/

Not going to happen tho is it Mosby ....those that murdered Rabin and Oslo are now in power .
The settlers have won .
There is nobody to negotiate with .
All this fear about BDS ...........one state is coming Mosby......its almost here already ...and it does not give a damn about " How many Palestinians will fit in your house and Kibbutz Israeli? " .

[shira]

7. Olmert's offer was extremely similar to the Gush-Shalom proposal...

You'll find that NO ONE from BDS would support either Olmert or Gush-Shalom's proposals.

To do so would make them Zionists, legitimizing the Jewish state.

They won't have any of that, and I believe you know that very well.

[King_David]

8. Who lives on a kibbutz ? Who lives in Israel?

On the Internet nobody knows these things.

The only poster we all know for sure who lives in Israel is Pelsar and I haven't seen him around here in quite a while.

[leftynyc]

9. BDS will get no help in the US

Americans know it's bullshit and that it's anti-Zionism at its worst. BDS wants to pretend the Palestinians are nothing but victims but Americans know better. Asked to "pick a side" - Americans have already made up their minds.

[Israeli]

10. I doubt that leftynyc....

....maybe all most Americans need is a little help with understanding just who is running this country and fighting the BDS movement .......and why .

‘This land is ours. All of it is ours': Meet the Netanyahu cabinet members focused on fighting BDS & annexing the West Bank

http://mondoweiss.net/2015/05/netanyahu-fighting-annexing?utm_source=Mondoweiss+List&utm_campaign=cff039e8e4-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b86bace129-cff039e8e4-39841893

That same year Erdan appeared a vocal supporter of a growing faction within Knesset to annex the West Bank. He made statements backing Hotovely’s legislation to formally incorporate the occupied Palestinian territory into Israel, although unlike Hotovely he supported the measure as a matter of strategy and not religion. Later in 2014 Erdan recommended building new settlements and annexing the West Bank as a punitive measure against Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for pursuing action at the United Nations.

While Hotovely and Erdan’s appointments come with significant domestic power to shape Israeli policy, their positions are also part of Israel’s external face. Foreign affairs and hasbara are the cornerstone of how Netanyahu will present his country to the world in his fourth term. Their hiring signals annexation is becoming more mainstream within Israel’s establishment party.

[King_David]

11. Anti BDS legislation is receiving Bipartisan support all over the country

I believe that Leftnyc's post is accurate.

Half The loud views you hear in this small group of ours are not reflective of Democratic Party views nor those of anything but a tiny minority of Americans.

[leftynyc]

13. The denial of the obvious

Last edited Thu Jun 4, 2015, 09:07 AM - Edit history (1)

is very strong with the bds folks. They live in their own little bubble.

[leftynyc]

12. I have NO doubt you are wrong

With Americans it comes down to sides. And they've already picked theirs. As long as hamas has anything to do with the Palestinians, Israel has nothing to worry about when it comes to the US. Just how many times do you need to see unanimous votes in Congress before you admit the obvious? Perhaps instead of concentrating on the bds movement and thinking that will ever hurt Israel, perhaps you should put more energy into making sure there is an election to show some proof Palestinians wont again vote for a terrorist organization. Just some advice.