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Author Naomi Klein Calls for Boycott of Israel
BILIN , West Bank - Bestselling author Naomi Klein on Friday took her call for a boycott of Israel to the occupied West Bank village of Bilin, where she witnessed Israeli forces clashing with protesters.
Bestselling Canadian author Naomi Klein on Friday took her call for a boycott of Israel to the occupied West Bank village of Bilin, where she witnessed Israeli forces clashing with protesters. 'Boycott is a tactic . . . we're trying to create a dynamic which was the dynamic that ultimately ended apartheid in South Africa,' she said. (Photograph by: John Kenney, National Post) "It's a boycott of Israeli institutions, it's a boycott of the Israeli economy," the Canadian writer told journalists as she joined a weekly demonstration against Israel's controversial separation wall.
"Boycott is a tactic . . . we're trying to create a dynamic which was the dynamic that ultimately ended apartheid in South Africa," said Klein, the author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism."
"It's an extraordinarily important part of Israel's identity to be able to have the illusion of Western normalcy," the Canadian writer and activist said.
"When that is threatened, when the rock concerts don't come, when the symphonies don't come, when a film you really want to see doesn't play at the Jerusalem film festival . . . then it starts to threaten the very idea of what the Israeli state is."
She briefly joined about 200 villagers and foreign activists protesting the barrier which Israel says it needs to prevent attacks, but which Palestinians say aims at grabbing their land and undermining the viability of their promised state.
She then watched from a safe distance as the protesters reached the fence, where Israeli forces fired teargas and some youths responded by throwing stones at the army.
"This apartheid, this is absolutely a system of segregation," Klein said adding that Israeli troops would never crack down as violently against Jewish protesters.
She pointed out that her visit coincided with court hearings in Quebec in a case where the villagers of Bilin are suing two Canadian companies, accusing them of illegally building and selling homes to Israelis on land that belongs to the village.
The plaintiffs claim that by building in the Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit, near Bilin, Green Park International and Green Mount International are in violation of international laws that prohibit an occupying power from transferring some of its population to the lands it occupies.
"I'm hoping and praying that Canadian courts will bring some justice to the people of Bilin," Klein said.
Her visit was also part of a promotional tour in Israel and the West Bank for "The Shock Doctrine" which has recently been translated into Hebrew and Arabic. Klein said she would get no royalties from sales of the Hebrew version and that the proceeds would go instead to an activist group.
254 Comments so far
Show Allhttp://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.php
need I say more?
Thank you Naomi!
It seems that the leading voices for sanity in today's world all come from women: Klein, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright, Cindy Sheehan, Kathy Kelly, Arundhati Roy, and of course, the deceased Rachel Corrie, and so many more that I either can't identify immediately, or simply don't know about.
Very simply, thank you for your courage and integrity.
And don't forget about Nancy Pelosi and her courageous stand against giving weapons to Israel... Oh - scratch that; it was just very wishful dreaming. I guess not all women are moral and sane.
bystander - Why not name a few more? Thatcher, Meir, Peron, Imelda, Indira Ghandi, Catherine of Russia, Marie Antoinette, Angie Merkel. But you'd still be wrong.
Odoco did not say that all women are courageous leaders - odoco oberved how many of today's outspoken leader are women. And it's very very true - there is a huge increase in the number of women speaking up for human rights, economic and environmental issues, etc. I think that's significant, and a great improvement with great promise. I fervently hope the trend continues in this direction. Because so far, the men have scewed up spectacularly. (not all, just the ones in charge)
And YOU need some practice in basic syllogisms.
Point well taken.
I do admire and respect these women greatly. But we do need to be on the lookout for the many immoral sellouts like Pelosi who give women leaders a bad name.
And of course most male leaders are sellouts with a few exceptions such as Kucinich and Nader.
We forgot some right wing women like Condi Rice, Hillary Clinton, Ellen Tauscher, Jane Harmon, Sarah Palin and others. While I agree more women (of color) should assume high office like the Senate, being female does not automatically mean progressive. Such an argument is biased and intellectually lazy
Exactly - Pelosi, Clinton - total fakes who talk populist and act neocon.
If I could have voted for Kucinich, I would have, even though he's a dude. No need to exclude him just because he's male.
Seem to have forgotten Noam Chompsky, Howard Zinn, Scott Ritter, Dennis Kucinich, and Michael Parenti.
How singularly sexist, irrelevant, and boring a comment on such an important issue.... Were you trying to change the subject or do you just have to see everything in terms of gender before you can grasp it.
Whether Naomi Klein is a woman, transsexual, gay; may or may not have Jewish ancestry, or prefers rice rather than pasta or potatoes with her meals, or even is a vegetarian is so totally apart from the logic of her position and the merit of her argument above, so why try and create another, "them and us" issue on gender lines. Who gives a damn?
Grow up, and get over it.
Where the hell are you making such bs assumptions? Odoco never said or implied any of it. Now shut up and grow up or I might have to throw you into a hurt locker, hehehe.
Naomi Klein is most definitely Jewish - note her nose and Streisandesque good looks (her age is starting to show though). She was a red-diaper baby from the days when most Jews were good socialists. Her parents emigrated to Canada after being red-baited and blacklisted in the US back in the 1950's.
Thank you for you enlightenment, but I know her bio.
And being Jewish (to different people at different times; a religion, a tribe, a culture, an ethnology, a race....) is important, is it, to qualify the opinion on an illegal occupation in Palestinian territories??? This is the kind of stupidity and bigotry that supports the Zionist myth.
If she was Palestinian on her great grandfather’s side would her opinion be worth less?
What is wrong with you people?
I fully agree that it should be of absolutely no importance.
But we are Humans, not Vulcans, and in the real world we need to consider is filled with emotion-driven illogic. Indeed the most logical course or action is to recognize how humal emotion works and exploit it to a better purpose.
For example, I've been to talks where a Jew from the ISO is reporting back on the injustice inflicted on the Palestinians in Gaza. i have seen the wild emotions - the shouting rage, then tears, then storming out of the auditorium, as Jews see a fellow Jew smash the foundations of their deeply held, cherished zoinist beliefs. It is precious. And it only works because the person doing the smashing is a Jew.
Rachael Corrie would not have gotten a tenth of the post-humous slander had they she been a Jew.
I don't see how pandering to the Zionist myths, makes me more human than I already am.
Frankly, diplomacy, international law, and geopolitics is no place for emotions, gnashing of teeth, and wailing about the "right to exist" that has no basis in any treaty or statute.
In fact a little less emotion and a little more realism, and the acceptance of differences without condemnation, bigotry or prejudgement would go a long way to bring the problems out of the hands of extremists and allow reason to dictate an equitable solution for the majority of Israelis and Palestinians.
The whole problem from its roots in the Zionist movement is one of playing on creating emotions; an awareness of separation, a uniqueness of the Diaspora… a feeling of persecution, fear, terrorism, etc… the concept of a “home land” a haven of protection against a constant persecution, a de-nationalizing of peoples of the world, an endless war to just survive….. All configured and conflated and propagandized to stimulate insecurity and through that power, from very different people who have little in common, but to keep a few Zionist elite, mostly criminals and gangsters in power. That is how Zionism works.
Oregoncharles
Yeah, she's got the good looks .... But "her age is starting to show though"
though what?
Lucitanian - thank you so much for your egregiously mistaken oversimplification and extrapolation of my remarks.
Let me help you understand my point: I definitely believe that women, in general, but not in totality, bring a different perspective to certain questions in life. We do all act out of our life experiences, whether they be of gender association, race association, or class association. And yes, I know, we all fall somewhere along the Kinsey line of male/female dominance so any point I make will not be perfectly correct.
I am a 60 year-old white male who was raised by two exceptionally strong, intelligent and fearless women; my mother and my grandmother. That is my personal experience and that is why I relate so well with those I mentioned in my previous post. Having said that, I don't think I stated or implied that there weren't men I admired for exhibiting the same qualities as those women. Dennis Kucinich immediately comes to mind; Gandhi; MLK, Jr.; Nelson Mandela, etc.
Sometimes I apologize to those who find my remarks offensive. I always attempt to view my writings and thoughts from multiple perspectives, and when I get negative feedback I try to analyze and respond.
But in your case - think not :)
Thank you for setting me straight, I now understand the point you wanted to make. Not to argue semantics but what you wrote was:
"the leading voices for sanity in today's world all come from women", by writing ALL it implies the exclusion of ANY men having voices for sanity.
but I realise you did not mean this when you now add: "I don't think I stated or implied that there weren't men I admired for exhibiting the same qualities as those women."
I'm sorry to be pedantic but that is what you did "state and imply" in the first instance. Personally I would add to the list of sane, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Mandela, but I don't think it is important how manly or womanly anyone is. That is what I want you to get clear.
odoco, I am often impressed by the courageous actions of African women - some famous and many not so famous - against their own dictators and warlords. I think it's really important that more women step forward and speak their conscience. On a completely unrelated note, I've wondered, what would happen if young women decide to ignore or dump Wall Street bankers and others who manipulate the system, no matter how much money they have.
Bravo.
"Judea declares war on Israel."
Will the parallels with World War Two Germany never cease?
I hope not!
And I'm a tender hearted Irish Catholic woman.
I think about it almost every day.
It is the bottom line for me to try and promote peace and understanding in the world.
Thank you, Naomi.
Independent Jews and progressive Jews around the world need to stand up and be counted. A boycott may seem too radical, even a heresy, to most Jews, but it is time that the humanist ethics of Judaism triumphed over the brutal militarism that dominates the state and many of the people of Israel. No more mindless backing of Zionist politics and policies.
The vast majority of Jews are working hard to give Israel a free hand in its genocidal occupation. This is nothing new. I don't know what the "humanist ethics of Judaism are", but the proof is in the pudding as to what Jews actually do.
It's a little late to say, "No more mindless backing of Zionist politics and policies." Huge damage to the world and Middle East has been done. Are Jews ready to make restitution for this damage, much as they have asked from others? Until then, you can't duck moral responsibility by simply saying, "OK, we don't do that anymore." and walk away.
The vast majority of Jews have successfully corroded our political process so that people of integrity aren't elected, as they might be for the rights and dignity of all people; now we suffer the results.
Our economy is broken by an ill-advised war that they helped push, and yet they push for another war with Iran. Our civil rights have been diminished by their alliance with the right-wing in order to be able to stop any interference - and why not? Zionism and the religious right are joined at the hip. And on and on.
So, what more would you have Jews like Klein, Goodman, Neumann, Finkelstein, Zinn, Chomsky; lesser knowns like Mordechai Shibikov, hoodeet (above), ceti (below) persoanl aquaintances of mine Jonathan, Etta and Andalusia and many many more everywhere?
As someone who was born a member of another denigrated religion/ethniicity with a minority radical-left tradition (Catholic), I detect a certain familiar unplesant smell enamating from your post.
Yes, good point, we can add Dennis Bernstein, Barbara Lubin, Jewish Voice for Peace (Oakland CA); Joel Kovel, Nora Barrows Friedman and many others. The problem is that progressive Jews have been shouted down by Right Wing Jews.
Thank you for listing the exception to the rule. I love Klein, Goodman, Neumann, Finkelstein, Zinn, and Chomsky although I disagree with his stance on right of return.
But if you can't see what is happening in front of you with the VAST MAJORITY of Jews, well...
maybe the smell is coming from the location you have your head.
Denial = no change, and blood on your hands.
If you were to take an opinion survey of a random sample of US Jews, and compare it to a random sample of the US population, you would find that support for Israel, and non-support for Palestinians would be comparable in both groups. Considering their liberal leanings, the pro-Palestinian minority may even be a bit larger among the Jews than the US in general.
In other words, US-Jewish attitudes toward Israel are far more due to them simply being USAn than being Jewish.
But yes, it is also true that actual money support for Israel does come from US synagogues through the powerful United Jewish Appeal. Nothing comparable to this in christian churches - BUT probably far larger percentage of Jews are non-temple-goers than those of christian birth are non-church-goers.
And thanks for all the links.
You guys will say anything.
Who should we believe - you or our lying eyes?
Links are just doors to other people saying things.
"Your eyes" refers to your actual experiences, not to links, novels you've read, or to commercial media or film. All of these - even those sacred links - are just second hand opinions.
This was the funniest and most pathetic excuse for ducking links that I've ever seen. Thank you, and I mean it!
And my point is that we can see things if we trust our own eyes and not believe the lies, distortions and demonizations of Zionists.
Wanderer,
It is Bigots like you who would make any group circle their wagons.
Since non -Jews are in the vast majority, they should take the lead too.
Yet the leaders of the Boycott of Israel and most criticism of it comes from fellow Jews as far as I can tell including those who want to stop the free billions for Israel.
The Old Israel lobby would not be so powerful if the Majority of Americans demanded peace truth and justice.
You wander all right ...in typical Scapgoatism.
Oh, sure... riiiiiight, it's guys like me who cause you to circle the wagons.
The absolute hypocrisy is that both historically and now, IT'S GUYS LIKE ME THAT YOU DEPEND ON TO KEEP THE JEW HATERS AT BAY. Because it's guys like me that believe in rights and human dignity of ALL people.
You Zionists can't exist without the anti-Semitism club and the hangman.
You Zionists are moral monsters. Always have been.
And now it's not the fault of the "Old Israel lobby" or the Jews - it's the Majority of Americans. Bullshit.
I think the confusion arising here is due primarily to the fact that "wanderer" is equating Jewish institutions with Jews in general, and this is unfortunate. The problem is that most of the major Jewish institutions in the US (but even worldwide--look at the CRIF in France) represent a Zionist, even Likud world-view, and these institutions purport to represent all Jews. The progressive Jews who decry the brutality of the Zionist state and its policies are thus all the more important, as a kind of counterweight to this institutional power. Of course it is not enough, since they are only individuals, but until a major bloc of progressive Jews can create organizational entities capable in turn of becoming mouthpieces for change, equity, and basic decency in the Holy Lands, and of influencing the policies of both Israel and the United States while specifically representing a Jewish point of view (and things like J Street are a start), their voices are absolutely essential. Wanderer is right to deplore the cynical exploitation of the accusation of anti-Semitism to justify oppression and genocide, but he is wrong to impute the same motive to Jews who are right to fear and condemn anti-Semitism. You should take care not to be so strident and general in your use of words, Wanderer. Words matter, no matter how much they have been abused by those who rule, no matter how meaningless they seem in their mouths. I don't think you want to become like them.
Thank-you. Excellent points.
There is a parallel in the Catholic church. Lots of leftist individuals and even organizations, but the big institutional center is quite conservative. Liberation Theology reached a point of threatening the conservative center's power in Latin America, so it was crushed (literally, with US military assisitance), while the pope wagged his finger at the Sandinistas and yelled "Silencio!"
There is no confusion - personal experience and simply watching events unfold make it obvious that THE VAST MAJORITY OF JEWS have not only allowed these institutions you mention to work in their name, but more often than not give financial and political support.
If the truth hurts, stop doing it!
Your bullshit about anti-Semitism reveals who you are.
If you hate Jews but support Israel, you are not anti-Semitic. Think of the right-wing of the US - Rupert Murdoch, or that Jew hater Pat Buchanan who should be kicked off the air, but apparently is not anti-Semitic because he doesn't criticize Israel.
But if you respect the rights and human dignity of both Jews AND Palestinians, THEN YOUR CAREER IS DESTROYED AND YOU ARE PUBLICLY DEMONIZED AS BEING ANTI-SEMITIC. Think of Finklestein, as an example.
The vast majority of Jews have corroded our body politic by making sure people of integrity don't get elected, because they might oppose Israel. They have destroyed our economy and hollowed out our military by pushing an ill-advised military venture, and yet are pushing for another one with Iran. They have gutted our civil liberties through advancing of the religions right wing, because Zionism and the right wing are kindred spirits.
And now you are trying to hide behind an impotent minority to give you cover. Until recognition and restitution for the misery brought on the world is made, there is no walking away from it.
Israel, that illegal and immoral invasion, is called the homeland of the Jews... by the vast majority of the Jews. I don't see how you can deny that, or how the vast majority of Jews continue to work to give them a free hand. You can't just walk away from that.
Wanderer,
Get some help.
I guess you lost the argument.
Guessing all you seem to do.
'You Zionists are moral monsters. Always have been.'
Demonization. Another trademark of antisemitic fascists.
Do you have a fraise book of these pointless one liners that you quote from?
Actually, it is not the bigots like him that make groups circle their wagons, but the ones who never confront them, while quoting Gandhi and biblical scripture, and while attacking those who do.
Naomi Klein is their "good Jew".
"but the proof is in the pudding as to what Jews actually do."
"What Jews do" is a useless and sweeping characterization. Might as well say "What Christians do" - you will find the same variety and range.
Joe
I wish she were speaking out about Darfur and a few other places where its a bit more urgent that the Palestinians problems. I wish CD would address these areas with more attention.
Then she should have spoken out about the Congo which eclipses Darfur by far, but has very few Hollywood celebrities and powerful lobbies working on its behalf, or Sri Lanka where the world completely turned away from the slaughter there.
And as a progressive Jew, Klein's efforts are most needed in the boycott campaign where the anti-semitism canard is most used.
ceti
True. Especially about Sri Lanka and the Congo.
"And as a progressive Jew, Klein's efforts are most needed in the boycott campaign where the anti-semitism canard is most used."
Again true.
But also true was quicksteppers comment that I was off point. I've been here far too long to do that. My apologies to all.
The trolls are here. If you can't deal with the subject being discussed then deflect attention to another area.
Red herrings only work with unintelligent readers.
If you want a discussion of Darfur and those issues then submit a separate article to CD.
q
quickstepper
Other than a good point about being off subject (which is correct)...I'm surprised at your charge of "troll" I thought more of you than that.
This subject has been covered to infinity was my only point. Incivility and personal insult is beneath you.