The issue is not about hummus,
chocolate bars
or Dead Sea vacations.
It is about civil society taking full responsibility for its own action ( or lack of ).
The issue is not exactly about Israeli products either,
but rather about how even a seemingly innocent decision like buying Israeli dates
may enable the continued subjugation of the Palestinian people.
Because the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) highlights this,
the reaction it often generates is charged and vehement.
Many also react to the BDS because it actually works.
Israeli supporters have every right to be concerned that their carefully customized discourse on Israel’s infallibility
( juxtaposed with Palestinian depravity )
– which has been promoted for decades in various media and political outlets in the US and Western countries
– is now simply falling apart.
The recent University of Pennsylvania BDS conference,
organized by student group PennBDS,
was the latest example to illustrate both the effectiveness of the global movement
and also of the real worry felt by supporters of Israel in the United States.
Knowing fully that facing BDS allegations head on
would most likely be unsuccessful,
they organized around misinformation,
name-calling
and intimidation.
However,
the tired strategy is no longer bearing fruit.
.
