The sidelocks are being tugged in anger in Haifa as yet another British Union join the series of boycotts aimed at Israel.
Condemned Israel for its "denial of educational rights" to Palestinians, The University & College Union today joined the largest public sector workers union, Unison,and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in boycotting Israel in protest at its treatment of Palestinians.
The claim was that while the Israeli university was functioning well, the Palestinian university had been closed for 51 consecutive weeks because of arrests and incursions by Israeli forces.
In retaliation, Israeli groups are now planning to launch a counter-boycott of British goods and services.
Regular as clockwork, the Israeli response was to call the boycott by millions of unionists as anti-semitic with minister for social affairs saying that there is "a long trail of anti-semitism in Europe." Wasn't expecting that.
Such a large number of protesters have made the politicians sit up and take notice with two high profile UK Jewish groups JIV and J-BIG, joining the fray against Israel's policy in the Occupied Territories.
Better stock up on your oranges, they could soon be in short supply.
38 comments:
Florida's got oranges, and the next hurricane can probably blow some directly to your door.
Israel shouldn't panic yet. This could turn out to be like the American boycott of France. French imports have risen every year since our boycott began.
Let's face it, we of the western persuasion aren't overwhelmingly interested in where our products come from, as long as we can get what we want at the price we want. But boycotts are among our favorite threats, though. It's nice to think that your purchasing power holds that much personal power. People will still buy what they want, and hide it in the back of the top cupboard shelf.
http://northernva.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/03/boycottthejews.jpg
Just remember what happens when everyone jumps on the blame the Jews band wagon.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,277875,00.html
We have long memories. Once upon a time Britain expelled all of its Jews, but let's ignore that for a moment.
Should we look at what Red Ken has been saying. Or what about poetry that praises Nazis.
It doesn't provide a warm fuzzy feeling.
There's that inflammatory Faux News again, always stirring up things we should all just forget...
Jack - The editor's explanation for including that poem is the biggest load of back-peddling pigshit I've read in a while.
But let's all take a step back, a deep breath, and say it all together:
Criticism of the Jewish state is NOT anti-Semitic.
I don't know about anyone else, but I feel all Nevilly now.
"Criticism of the Jewish state is NOT anti-Semitic."
Wow, I reckon there's real hope for peace in the Middle East now, now that we're seeing a turnround like this! :)
The only qualification I'd make to Mark's comment would be to put the word 'necessarily' inbetween the 'not' and the 'anti-Semitic'. That's because some people who criticise the actions of the Israeli government are anti-Semitic. Neo-Nazis for instance. Others (like me, Lucy, and lot of other people around here) are not.
Apart from that, top work, Mark. Looks like you're learning, old son :)
"One does not have to be a Neo-Nazi to be anti-Semitic."
That's correct, Mark. Did anyone around here say that you had to be a Neo-Nazi in order to be anti-Semitic?
Certainly not me, as I said "Neo-Nazis, for instance", clearly implying that Neo-Nazis
are merely a subset of the larger set of people who are anti-Semitic.
The clue was in the words I used.
"The post was not about you and Lucy. Israelis criticize the Israeli government."
Wonderful, I think we're getting there, bruv. Not so long ago it seemed like your position was that anyone who criticised the actions of the Israeli government was (and here comes the important bit, they're in italics for ya) necessarily anti-Semitic.
Apologies if I misunderstood you, but that's the way it sounded to me.
However, it doesn't sound like you do believe this anymore, so I reckon we're coming to sort sort of consensus on this issue now.
Sweet, this is what blogging's all about, innit? :)
I never took that position, Cheezy.
Fantastic. Sorry for getting the wrong end of the stick then.
As far as i know and can see and hear, nobody in any of these boycotting unions have said anything about condemning the religion Judaism or blaming the Jews for anything.
The actions of the government of the Country called Israel on the other hand has come in for a bit of a bashing.
Okay, Lucy, but why so much Israel and not other countries that have abuses of human rights? That's the mystery. Where's the boycott of China, et al?
I agree with your question and the brutally honest answer would be Israel is boycotted because it would have more popular backing than boycotting China, Zimbabwe et al.
Secondly, as the Unions are behind it, by nature the union members have a leftist militant streak, especially among academics.
Thirdly, the Palestinian plight is big news in Europe, unfortunatly the plight of the Tibetens is not.
Besides that, you can't boycott everyone all at once, or you won't be able to buy ANYTHING. :-)
And the fourth rerson, Lucy?
Safe and cowardly crap, this boycott.
That shadowy figure is saying let's boycott the Jews mark.
Bit anti-semitic isn't it?
Better pass me the spliff, Lucy so I can try and understand that last comment...
All will be revealed at the click of your own link that you posted.
Let's be honest, shall we. Millions of unionists are not going to stop any spending habits whatsoever, their leaders dream up this crap to justify their existence by living off the hardworking union members. The academics? That's actually laughable, I don't think that's got the Israeli population running for cover. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell they are actually boycotting. The Israeli drug companies? Don't think so, the flash memory manufacturers? Nope. I don't think that anyone really cares that much about this. Let me know when the next product boycott actually works.
"Israel is boycotted because it would have more popular backing than boycotting China, Zimbabwe et al."
I have to ask this question Lucy. Is this really true in the U.K? Are the Jews actually disliked more than the Chinese, or Africans? That statement said in this country would really sound ludicrous. This is why I love reading international blogs, I do learn that things are VERY different in other places.
"I don't think that anyone really cares that much about this."
"Are the Jews actually disliked more than the Chinese, or Africans?"
Maybe that's why only the Jews seem to care about this, Cody. As usual, the rest of the world says, "So what?"
As to your claims that I am anti-Britain, Lucy, don't be ridiculous. Who's calling for a boycott of Great Britain?
How patently absurd.
The actions of the government of the Country called Israel on the other hand has come in for a bit of a bashing.
And the Brits have never done anything to create issues any where in the world. Good to know that the denizens of the former empire haven't any insight into how their own country is responsible for so many of the problems we face today.
"And the Brits have never done anything to create issues any where in the world."
Erm... Did anyone around here make this claim, Jack's Shack?
Your post also begs this question: Do we now exist in a world in which you can't make any statement about the actions of any other country (I guess this includes the likes of Iran, North Korea, and Russia) unless your own country has an ethically spotless past? Even if you don't agree with a lot of what your government has done?
We do?
OK, well, I guess we'd all better shut up then.
Way to encourage a free debate on world affairs, Jack's Shack! Yeah mate, that's what the internet's all about! :)
The point still remains that it is anti-Semitism if Israel is unfairly singled out. In this case, she is being unfairly singled out.
By Brits.
I thought the internet was about forming cliquey groups and bashing others over the head for stating their opinions...
That's certainly what it's all about for some of you! :)
"for some of you! :)"
God knows you've never done that. good thing you're around to set such a shining example for us all...
Thanks mate - it's not difficult though.
For what it's worth I think I've noticed a recent improvement in your behaviour too. Cheers.
Cody- Have no idea how well the Jews are liked or disliked, i would guess they get treated the same as every other relgion here except for maybe the Musilms who have a hard time of it here lately.
Israel on the other hand does come in for lots of criticism from all sides.
The UCU boycott is an academic boycott so no contact with Israeli Colleges or Universities. What the individual memebers choose to do is outside of the remit of the UCU.
My absurd point mark was that by your bizzare logic, if criticising Israel is anti-Jew, than criticising us must be anti-Church of England. If it is good for one than it has to be good for the other doesn't it?
Glad you think that this idea is absurd, maybe the penny is finally starting to drop with you. Got there in the end didn't we.
No heads have been bashed in the making of this comment.
And round and round it goes, Lucy. Who is calling for a boycott of Great Britain?
China?
Iran?
Saudi Arabia?
The US for war "crimes"?
Somalia?
Sri Lanka?
Sudan?
Russia?
Syria?
Lebanon?
Algeria?
Iraq for honor killings?
Zimbabwe?
Egypt?
Should I keep going or is it clear that only one country is being singled out for special treatrment by a group of British "intellectuals"?
THAT is what makes the move anti-Semitic in nature, not criticizing the Israeli government and I think anyone with two brain cells to rub together would be able to understand the distinction.
Oh, I forgot to add, much less someone as intelligent as you obviously are.
;o)>
"Should I keep going or is it clear that only one country is being singled out for special treatrment by a group of British "intellectuals"?"
For today, yes. Tomorrow it will be someone else trying to tell everybody else not to buy from some other someone else. It's no different than Bill O'Reilly's boycott of France, or the Baptists' boycott of Disney. A bunch of puffed up chests and high rhetoric for about a week, then every body knows who the moral and mighty folk are, and then the cameras point at some other assholes and their case du jour. It'll be forgotten next week, and the Israeli economy won't even hiccup.
Amount of brain cells has nothing to do with it, it is just a form of censorship of criticism of Israel by using the smokescreen of the anti-semite argument.
There was a story in todays papers about a group of Israeli soldiers raiding a house in Hebron. They shot dead the grandfather, shot the grandmother in the head and then shot their sons in the head and legs.
Are we supposed to not be outraged by this and just let it pass by quietly because of fear of being labelled anti-semitic?
Some may be intimidated by the browbeating tactics but many more of us are not and will continue to pick up injusticies whoever perpetrate them, Israel included.
See my e-mail, Lucy.
That is not what I said or implied, ever.
End of discussion as far as I'm concerned.
Thought it would be mark.
Well, the end of it at THIS blog, anyway.
OK, well, I guess we'd all better shut up then.
Way to encourage a free debate on world affairs, Jack's Shack! Yeah mate, that's what the internet's all about! :)
Cheezy,
I never said any such thing, but since you decided to take it there how about a swift kick in the ass. That might help you focus on what I did say.
The reality is that the boycott is imbalanced, misguided, factually inaccurate and foolish.
To be clear, I don't have a problem with that being debated. I don't have a problem with discussing any of this. But I am not going to refrain from pointing out how stupid some of this is.
"The reality is that the boycott is imbalanced, misguided, factually inaccurate and foolish."
Most boycotts are, which is why I pretty much pooh-poohed it from the first comment on.
Something else that is imbalanced, misguided, factually inaccurate and foolish is acting as if the words of one teacher's union in London reflects the actions of Europe as a whole. Some folks seem to think that America is the only country where people are able to have individual opinions, instead of acting and thinking as a unified whole, like the Borg.
FWIW, I thought that it might be useful to see what the boycott involves. Here is a link
and an excerpt:
One need only glance at the following achievements to understand what Israel's universities have contributed to human progress and peace.
Two of the world's most widely used FDA-approved multiple-sclerosis drugs, Copaxone and Rebif, were developed from research carried out at Weizmann Institute of Science.
A revolutionary drug developed by researchers at Bar-Ilan University holds out hope for tens of millions of people around the world who suffer from schizophrenia. Researchers from Tel Aviv University have also invented a drug candidate which holds out promise in this field.
An award-winning scientist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev developed a biological control for mosquitoes and black flies that cause malaria and river blindness, saving the sight and lives of millions of people in Africa and China.
Scientists at Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed the FDA-approved drug Exelon for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and are now working on a new anti-Alzheimer's drug also suitable for treating strokes and traumatic brain injuries.
Velcade, an effective new cancer drug that treats multiple myeloma, is based on research by two Technion-Israel Institute of Technology professors. The pair won the 2004 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their groundbreaking work.
Scientists at Tel Aviv University developed BioPetroClean, a safe environmentally-friendly technology for cleaning oil spills in seas around the globe.
University of Haifa researchers working as part of an international cooperative team, identified the gene capable of increasing the protein content of wheat - a giant step towards combating world hunger.
Research by a professor at the Weizmann Institute has led to the development of promising new therapies for acute spinal cord injuries. The late actor Christopher Reeve described Israel as the 'world-center' for research on paralysis treatment. Proneuron Biotechnologies, the company founded to commercialize this research is also developing a therapy for Parkinson's with support from the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
A team from the Weizmann Institute has demonstrated for the first time how tissues transplanted from pig embryos might, in the future, be able to induce the human body to produce blood-clotting proteins for hemophilia patients.
An Israeli scientific team from the Technion has succeeded in creating in the laboratory beating heart tissue from human embryonic stem cells.
Researchers at the Hebrew University and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge have isolated the protein that triggers stress in order to try to treat post-traumatic stress syndrome.
A team of Jewish and Arab Israeli genetic researchers from Ben-Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center has identified a genetic defect that causes a severe neurodegenerative disease in Bedouin children, resulting in premature death.
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