by Mudar Zahran
I have personally approached several known BDS movements asking them to boycott many Arab countries for the way they treat my people, and not one time did I find even an iota of interest. This proves that the BDS corporate culture revolves around demonizing Israel and not around caring for the Palestinians.
Despite being in the
21st century, haters have not changed their hearts, but instead have
changed their methods and slogans. Hatred in general has become harder
to pin down socially and legally, because many haters use proxy mission
statements to target their victims.
A good example is
anti-Semitism. It seems the anti-Semites of today can easily claim "we
love the Palestinians" instead of saying "we hate Jews." This method has
been championed by the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement
against Israel.
BDS is dangerous for all of us and could severely harm the West, the Arabs in general, and the Palestinians in particular.
As a
Jordanian-Palestinian, I have witnessed firsthand that most BDS
movements do not care for the Palestinians. I can authoritatively
confirm this; I have personally approached several known BDS movements
asking them to boycott many Arab countries for the way they treat my
people, and not one time did I find even an iota of interest. This
proves that the BDS corporate culture revolves around demonizing Israel
and not around caring for the Palestinians.
When weighing the facts
on the ground, the call to boycott Israel is rather ridiculous. Israel
is the largest employment provider for Palestinians. Almost every single
friend or relative I know in the West Bank works for Israeli
businesses, some even inside Israeli settlements. This by itself is
evidence of how little the BDS cares for Palestinians, because if
Israeli businesses shut down because of BDS, how would the Palestinians
make a living?
Let's not forget, the
only Middle Eastern countries that allow Palestinians to work
unconditionally are Israel and Saudi Arabia. All other countries impose
extreme conditions on the employment of Palestinians. In Lebanon,
Palestinians are banned from 72 professions, including being doctors. In
Syria, Palestinians are being starved with no jobs or incomes in the
Yarmouk camp by both the Assad regime and the Islamist rebels. In
Jordan, where Jordanians of Palestinian heritage make up the majority of
the population, we are banned from most government jobs. Still, you
never hear the BDS movement even mentioning any of those countries.
BDS proponents counter
this argument by claiming the movement is not only about livelihoods,
but also "dignity" and above all "political rights." Well, let's examine
how much of those things Palestinians get outside of Israel: Israeli
Arabs (some of whom identify themselves as Palestinian) hold 16 out of
120 Knesset seats, despite making up less than 20 percent of Israel's
population. On the other hand, millions of Palestinians in Syria and
Lebanon do not have a single representative in any legislative body,
despite having lived there for five decades. In Jordan, Jordanians of
Palestinian origin hold fewer than 10% of the parliamentary seats
despite making up more than 80% of the population (as indicated by a
U.S. Embassy Amman cable). Nonetheless, BDS only cares to target Israel
and not any of those Arab countries.
The unfairness and
obvious bias that characterize the BDS movement are not only bad for
Israel, but are in fact detrimental to us all. Driving Israeli
businesses out of areas with a high Palestinian population results in
young men being unemployed, and we all know a hungry man is an angry
man. Those men could easily be radicalized even more than they already
are, which is very dangerous today, as Islamists try to engulf the
entire Middle East in flames.
More radicalization of
Palestinians means more trouble for Israel, and more trouble for Israel
means harm to the only stable and capable power in the Levant that could
confront the expanding Islamic State group. Islamic State makes no
secret of its intention to target the West and has said openly that it
will go after Washington and the White House after getting Jerusalem.
The harm for Israel,
and in fact for the rest of us, is not only economic. The demonic image
that the BDS movement is trying to establish for Israel plays into the
hands of Islamists, as if demonizing Israel gives them more air to
breathe.
The Islamists in our
region are not stupid; they use the same message that the BDS movement
uses: "rights for the Palestinians," "justice for our Palestinian
brothers," and "justice for Palestine." Basically, thanks to BDS, the
Islamists now have ready-made slogans with which to manipulate the
average Westerner and Arab. All in the name of "protecting" the
Palestinians. Why wouldn't the BDS movement protect us in Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq or even Jordan?
As a
Jordanian-Palestinian, and a son of refugee parents, I surely do not
agree with Israel on a catalogue of issues, but I am wise enough to know
that it is either Israel or Islamic State/Iran/Hamas/Hezbollah in our
region. If the latter groups win, or become stronger, they will quickly
find their way to Washington, London, Paris, Brussels, Amman, and Cairo.
It is fair to conclude
that the BDS movement's recklessness is endangering all of us and could
result in long-term trouble that our children will have to endure.
Westerners, Arabs in
general, Palestinians, and everyone else must realize that Israel is one
of the main cornerstones of the Middle East's security. Whether we like
Israel or not, whether we choose to love it or hate it, we cannot
afford to compromise Israel's interests, not today and not any time in
the future. This may not be what we Arabs wish for, but it is a fact.
Meanwhile, anyone with
common sense must not subscribe to the hasty recklessness, hatred and
silliness of the BDS movement, as this will come with a very hefty price
tag for all of us.
Mudar Zahran is a Jordanian-Palestinian who resides in the U.K.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=12793
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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