BDS Has Placed Israel on Notice
RANJAN SOLOMON
When
Israel is condemned for its absurd actions; it reacts as if it were the victim
of some international anti-Jewish conspiracy.
It throws guilt on the face of the accuser by categorizing them as anti-Semitic
when, in fact, its own attacks on Palestine people constitutes de-recognition
of a people who can also lay claim to being among the first Semites.
Israel today cites security as the reason why it has built the apartheid wall,
installed check points, demolished homes, blockaded Gaza, imprisoned tens and
thousands of Palestinians, created bypasses while stealing Palestinian land,
established settlements of Jewish populations on Palestinian land, appropriated
heritage sites that belong to Palestine and its tourism sector, refused
refugees who it dispossessed some 70 years ago re-entry into their homes and
villages, and more such evil actions.
But countries in the region allude to Israel as the factor that creates
insecurity and that Israel has just one important step it can take to reverse
its supposed sense of insecurity- withdraw the occupation and cease its
colonialist designs on Arab lands, including The Golan Heights in Syria.
For as long as Israel refuses to withdraw from lands that does not legitimately
belong to it, it cannot expect the Arabs to be welcoming neighbours. Israel has
imposed on its neighbours a state of war. War is what occupation really
is.Israel must ask itself why it has never ever been able to garner support at
the level of the United Nations – never a vote in its favour – except through
vetoes.
On the contrary, the votes against Israel have been won by wide margins in the
General assembly, UNSC and even in the various sub-bodies of the United
Nations. Last evening the UN passed a crushing resolution condemning Israel's
use of "use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. (Margin of vote: 120 to 8). The
resolution deprecated the "use of live ammunition against civilian protesters,
including children, as well as medical personnel and journalists" and
underscoring its "grave concern at the loss of innocent lives".
Israel is on notice. The BDS is rapidly spreading. If this grows, Israel risks
isolation in fields where it is reliant. Israel may then learn to conform to
global democracy and avoid seclusion.
Israel must also confront its dual standards. It is a nuclearised state with
dangerous weapons in its armory. It is a huge incongruity that while the US
wants North Korea to denuclearize, it blinds itself to Israel's dangerous
nuclear secrets.
The US, UK and Canada who practice nuclear apartheid also sustains Israel's
political apartheid. U.S. presidents have secretly agreed not to ask Israel to
surrender is nuclear arsenal. This, despite, Israel being the warmonger of the
region seeking to destroy any country or leader it despises.
Israel must be stopped in its tracks or else the region will see a
proliferation of nuclear weapons. This is no ideal formula but it would be
foolish to give Israel an edge knowing its penchant for being reckless during
its military assaults
