The Balfour Declaration, November 2, 1917:
His Majesty’s Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
A lot of people think Israel hasn’t protected the rights of the non-Jews, and some are trying to apply international pressure on Israel to change this. It’s the same kind of pressure that was put on South Africa to stop Apartheid.
On the other hand, Texas is applying pressure to stop people from boycotting. In particular one town is requiring people to sign this agreement if they want help in recovering from Hurricane Harvey:
Verification not to Boycott Israel. By executing this Agreement below, the Applicant verifies that the Applicant: (1) does not boycott Israel; and (2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement.
—Hurricane Harvey Repair Grant Application and Agreement…
Who would have guessed?
I think that you should read Edward Luce’s The Retreat Of Western Liberalism. I have no thoughts in the matter but if I were to be asked if I support Israel or the Palestinians, I would plump for the former.
I’ll pass. Israel is another symptom.
Just netflixed Tale of Love and Darkness, about Amos Oz, the Israeli writer, and some of his childhood memories about his family and Israel at the time of the creation of the Nation after WWII. Well done.
Not directly part of the film, but it makes me awfully sad to see how the dream of Zion (which around here is of course of a liberal, democratic Zion) has apparently been lost to the fundamentalists. Such a reminder of the cruel, harsh, judgmental, mean-spirited aspects of the God of the Abrahamic religions.
ps: Eric says the dream of Zion was ethnic cleansing from the beginning–remember the Zionist slogan “a land without people for a people without a land”
Thanks for the suggestion. I’m saddened by Israel too. I subscribe to the cartoons of the Dry Bones Blog, which is very far right — boycotts are bad, the West Bank is part of the Jewish homeland, etc. It’s an easy way to see that viewpoint.
I have also just watched In Search of Israeli Food on Netflix. It gives a feeling for the diversity of geography and the difference between ultra religious Jerusalem and secular Tel Aviv. It also interviews an Arab chef who talks about discrimination and the excitement and then disappointment about the peace talks.