If only there were more people who were really pro-Palestinian. . .
There is no widespread international movement to support the Palestinians. It’s a difficult reality to accept, because we see so many protestors, from Australia to the United States, hoisting Palestinian flags and shouting “Free Palestine!” on a daily basis. It’s also sad, because many Palestinians could benefit from a truly pro-Palestinian global network that focused on boosting the West Bank economy or providing aid to the struggling Palestinians in actual refugee camps throughout Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where they face serious discrimination and often death at the hands of the Arab leaders under whose rule they live.
Nevertheless, groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which claim to represent the Palestinians’ best interests, are far more fixated on attacking Israel than on promoting Palestinian prosperity. If you take a moment to look at their Facebook page, you’ll see signs that say, “STOP DOING WHAT HITLER DID TO YOU,” boycotts of Israeli cultural and academic institutions (most of which have nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), and accusations of a racism they claim to be inherent in any form of Zionism. I once received a particularly misguided pamphlet from a “pro-Palestinian” group as I stepped into an Idan Raichel concert in Boston, telling me that by attending the concert I was supporting apartheid. Ignoring the document, I spent the evening enjoying not only some excellent music but also Raichel’s usual pro-peace remarks in support of singers around the world, including Palestinians.
A few years ago, we saw another example of the “pro-Palestinian” movement in action when the Mavi Marmara and five other boats participated in an aggressive flotilla that tried to break the blockade on Gaza. That flotilla was in large part funded by a Turkish NGO called IHH, which is generally referred to in English as the “Humanitarian Relief Foundation.” The organizers of the flotilla, however, chose not to send aid through the Israeli government or through the United Nations (both of which are options for donating resources to Gaza), but through an attempt at forcible entry into Gaza, despite Israel’s warnings. They chose to provoke Israel rather than attend to the needs of the Palestinians who they claimed to be the focus of their concern.
...This difference between the pro-Israel and the “pro-Palestinian” movements is critical. If the latter were more like the former in its goals and its tactics, there would be a much greater potential for reconciliation between them. I call on those liberal people who think of themselves as “pro-Palestinian” to realize that the path to peace and to full Palestinian statehood is not through Hate Weeks and blanket boycotts, but through positive recognition of a Jewish state with legitimate aspirations and concerns. I call on those who are undecided about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to realize the extent to which the Zionist movement is pulling the debate in the right direction. And I call on those who support the more negative elements of the “pro-Palestinian” movement to open their eyes to this distinction between reactionary negativity and productive optimism. Only then will they see that what is best for everyone involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is mutual respect for both Israelis and Palestinians as human beings with cultures and lives that are separate from politics. Only then will there be a true drive for peace.
Read more: If only there were more people who were really pro-Palestinian. . . | Ben Gladstone | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/if-only-there-were-more-people-who-were-really-pro-palestinian/#ixzz2xMkB50yH
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