Opinion  Ben-Dror Yemini
BDS, J Street and the willful blindness of the liberal peaceniks
Ben-Dror Yemini
Published: 27.07.19, 22:40
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25 Talkbacks for this article
1. An accurate description
Shalom Freedman   (07.28.19)
This is an accurate description of how JStreet supports forces hostile to the very existence of Israel. It exposes the hypocrisy of the organization and its failure to live up to its own ideal goal, of working to bring about Peace.
2. You can't boycott israel and here's why!
Proud Israeli   (07.28.19)
Israel in one or another has a role in what you eat, drink, wear or use. Whether it's a product or technology, you depend on Israel. If you boycott us, it's your loss not ours. You can live in the stone age for all we care.

Israel is not an apartheid, I am not a jew and yet I am proud to be israeli and zionist. Why don't you go bother other countries instead, why do you feel that you need to bother Israel? Do we bother you that much? Does it bother you that we are advancing in the world and your countries aren't? Maybe instead of wasting your time bothering ours, then you can contribute to science or technology in your country.

Don't get jealous from success, follow it's footsteps.
3. Another Arab entity is exactly what's not needed
Ken   (07.28.19)
4. Is he a Ben ami?
Jane Berliner ,   Shabghai   (07.28.19)
Ben Ami. What a beautiful name. This man is everything but a Ben Ami. Quite the opposite. Self hating Jews. Are these people really Jewish? I mean halachicly Jewish?
5. Unconvincing opinion
Roger Nathan ,   Kerem Maharal   (07.28.19)
The author of this article presents arguments that a boycott of Israel to protest the Occupation can be legitimate. He then argues that antisemites have joined in supporting the boycott, and that makes the boycott wrong. That's a poor argument and a weak unconvincing article.
6. JStreet is anti-Israel
Bar Star ,   Haifa, Israel   (07.28.19)
Israelis don't believe me when I tell them that many American Jews don't support Israel. Somebody made an observation about JStreet leadership and membership too. They are all intermarried. I guess their trying to be more anti -Israel than their non-Jewish spouses. In my home state the JStreet always opposed pro-Israel organizations and activities in the community and the state legislature.
7. MD, Phd,CEO
Eugene Barasch ,   Elk Grove, Ca   (07.28.19)
C'mon, you can't be this stupid. It used to be that Israel had PMs and Foreign Ministers who would explain to the world its position and what Israel has to do to maintain itself. Netanyahu lies and yells and accuses. He does NOT support a two state solution yet says he does and will not explain it and he undercuts that possibility in every way possible. He insults Obama, snubs Democrats, throws in with Red Neck Evangelicals and yells and screams about Iran without being straight to Israel about the impossibility of knocking out the Iranian nuclear program without an actual invasion. The truth is, with Netanyahu in there, Israel is just another asshole country. Unfortunately for us Jews. Under these circumstances, BDS is just the world trying to be decent.
8. So driven are liberal Jews to butt lick non-Jews+be accepted
Sam ,   Montreal   (07.28.19)
Liberal Jews will do anything to be accepted by non-Jews even if their activities are anti-Jewish and anti-Israel.
9. GENESIS 12:3
SAFED KABBALIST ,   SAFED GENIUS   (07.28.19)
"And I will bless those who bless you ,and the one who curses you I will curse ."
10. That's subject-matter for psychology,not political analysts!
(07.28.19)
(In relation to Jewish activists for this sick "cause")
As for the likes of Ilhan Omar: do you expect anything else???!!
11. We've got legitimate parties, running in the upcoming
(07.28.19)
elections that fully qualify as enemies of the state AND they're Jewish!
Seems we're doomed to produce these "faulty" members of the Tribe.
12. INCREDIBLE UPSETTING NEWS !
FO ,   Belgium   (07.28.19)
Tzipi Livni, Tamar Zandberg and Stav Shafir will attend J Street upcoming conference in October, The Left that obstinately keeps classified its ill fated role in disowning an Independent Jewish state in the years between 1917 and 1942, is not troubled at all today, to cooperate with J Street, in fact their own ideology, to disown this time Israel’s irrevocable rights in International Law. A book called "The Road to September 1939, Polish Jews, Zionists, and the yishuv on the Eve of World War II", written by Jehuda Reinharz & Yaakov Shavit has been published in 2018. In its index you find all the prominent figures of that time; just one is missing... Nahum Sokolow, the man who in alternation with Haim Weizmann, was the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, and author of the two volume "History of Zionism" published in 1918. In the author's introduction, Sokolow wrote: "It has been said and still is obstinately repeated by anti-Zionists again and again, that Zionism aims at the creation of an independent “Jewish State”. But this is wholly fallacious. The "Jewish State" was never part of the Zionist programme. The "Jewish State" was the title of Herzl's first pamphlet, which had the supreme merit of forcing people to think". THIS became the Left ideology, blocked the possibility for creating a Jewish Independent State in the early thirties, and opened the way for the Shoah! To the Israeli citizen, think about all this before voting next September!!!
13. willful blindness on all sides
barry schiller ,   North Providence   (07.28.19)
I don't think J Street is a"fraud" but they are wrong not to support anti-BDS legislation, as I agree with the post that though some well meaning people can be duped, at hear t it is a very anti-Jewish movement. I'll add there is also a "willful blindness" in the right-wing that vilifies liberals and Democrats generally as this risks the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus needed when the Democrats come back to power (as they will unless the Trump regime actually succeeds in undermining democracy here)
14. Not About Israel
Ed ,   USA   (07.28.19)
In the US, the BDS movement is not really about Israel at all--about which most proponents know little or nothing. It is about hating Republicans. A while back BDS was Bush Derangement Syndrome. Not it's mostly about hating Trump. Netanyahu is perceived as a conservative Republican. It doesn't matter that Israel is more socialist in the real sense of the term than most "socialists" in the US advocate. It doesn't matter that the Israeli policies BDS is most against are those advocated by a broad spectrum of Israeli politicians. BDS is a hate movement.
15. J st was created and funded by people who hate Israel...
(07.29.19)
16. who loves the so called squad
C   (07.29.19)
obama.

read the op-ed in the washington post of friday.
17. Self inflicted wounds are just as painful/hurtful as those
(07.30.19)
done by sworn enemies.
What a tragedy, that some people are born blind/deaf&dumb but still retain their privilege of voting/influencing our life
18. Mr.
Richard ,   Brooklyn   (08.02.19)
What occupation? There is not a single Israeli soldier in Gaza and the Golan Heights is the rightful territory of Israel.
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