''The recent proposal that Norway boycott Israeli goods has provoked passionate debate. In my view, a rational examination of this issue would pose two questions:
1) Do Israeli human rights violations warrant an economic boycott? and
2) Can such a boycott make a meaningful contribution toward ending these violations? I would argue that both these questions should be answered in the affirmative.
Although the subject of many reports by human rights organizations, Israel's real human rights record in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is generally not well known abroad. This is primarily due to the formidable public relations industry of Israel's defenders as well as the effectiveness of their tactics of intimidation, such as labeling critics of Israeli policy anti-Semitic.
Yet, it is an incontestable fact that Israel has committed a broad range of human rights violations, many rising to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity. ''
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Since March 29th 2006
3 comments:
I my opinion you are so wrong. I don't claim to be an expert but I do have eyes and ears and in 2002 I watched CNN for six months solid and nothing else. The reason being that it was the only channel that I could get in English and I was living abroad. Sad I know, but true nonetheless.
I watched live reports and statements from both sides of the arguement and I have to say that I knew nothing about the middle east cricis before. Well this gave me the opportunity to witness history in the making. I watched Palestinians lie their heads off, they said one thing one minute and then the complete opposite the next. I watched them kill men, women and children and yes I saw Israeli retaliation, a form of trying to police in a mad situation. The difference is that I saw the Israeli's kill men accused of terrorism but I saw the Palestinian's killing the innocent.
I wasn't influenced by media manipulation, quite the reverse. I am one of the most disbelieving people you could ever meet, and the last one to be influenced by the media but when watching one news film my husband and I (my husband being somewhat of an expert on firearms) watched the Israeli's being accused of shooting at Palestinian's when we could both clearly see the dust expelled by the bullet was going in the wrong direction. It was fired from the Palestinian side, at their own children just to make a point.
I do not like this TRENDY new fashion of supporting the Palestian's just because it's the latest craze.
No-one likes human suffering, I can't stand it, but boycott's will only increase suffering and you're an idiot if you think otherwise.
Well, Fiona, if you watched only CNN as your source for the news then your opinion on the subject might be biased. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a history and most of the time what is said in the news don't take into account this history. I condemn violence from both sides but if you have a comprehensive look at the conflict you realize that Palestinians were deprived from everything, they live in a large prison, they depend on international aid, they don't have access to their orchards, they cannot developp an economy, more then 50% of them are unemployed, they have no future. Still, this does not justify bombings but Israel also kills civilians as you might have read in the much referenced Finkelstein article at the rate of three Palestinian civilians for one Israeli.
I can go on and on...and I wish that you can have a more comprehensive understanding of this conflict which is very much reproted in the media but badly reported in my opinion.
Sophia you are absolutely right CNN are completely biased on this subject, in favour of the Palestinians. That is exactly the point I was making in my first response. The illustration of the bullet coming from the wrong direction surely emphasises the fact that I was watching unbalanced reporting.
Please do not underestimate six months of boring CNN either. As I said it was hobson's choice tv. I also stated that I had no knowledge of the situation beforehand other than that I had sympathy with the Palestinians. It was the manipulation of CNN's reporting that changed my mind.
I do believe you that there is suffering on their side and I hate that. I don't like to see anybody suffer. However during my six month viewing I saw Arafat say one thing one minute and then completely the opposite the next. His own words, live, his own statements. He just lied and lied and lied and CNN never seemed to pick him up on it. How strange I thought. Until I learned that the Saudi prince owns CNN and is a great supporter of the Palestinian's. Aha I thought to myself, could this be an explanation.
It's probably the most complicated political situation in existence so you must forgive my ignorance. However surely you are not suggesting that only experts are welcome to comment.
There is a question if you ever read this again that I do have. In all honesty I don't understand one thing about the Palestinian's. They are living in misery, and the surrounding countries support them, Egypt, Syria, Jordan. Why don't these oil rich countries support them by donating a small part of their huge countries or by naturalising them into their own. Why do the Palestinian's have to live in Israel?
This is a genuine question. In the UK we have many asylum seekers. Why can't these people go to their neighbour's and seek refuge and start again. I have heard the expression 'We will drive the Jew's into the sea', is this the answer or is there something I'm missing.
Until someone can give me a reasonable explanation to this question then I shall continue to see the situation as purely religious, which of course it is isn't it? Which in conclusion confirms what you yourself deny, which is that this is an anti-sematic movement.
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