I commend the Penn Pro-Israel group for their efforts. Additionally, I think it is amazing that they are taking an opportunity to garner support for Israel-something positive and productve. It is interesting to note that the PennBDS group is doing just the opposite-directing their efforts towards boycotting and divesting from Israel thus, they are forming their “group solidarity” by being anti-something. An identity formed by being against something else is not really a true identity at all and their efforts are being put towards something is rather provocative.

^^ This comment also reflects the incredibly skewed view that so many have when approaching the conflict. can we PLEASE stop speaking of this in Israeli terms only? Can we TALK ABOUT PALESTINIANS??!! The BDS movement is NOT anti-Israel. We are ANTI HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE, and thus we are taking direct action to combat Israel’s blatant disregard for international law and human dignity. Importantly, we are PRO PALESTINIAN SELF DETERMINATION, but, as MLK said, rights are never offered by the oppressor, they must be demanded by the oppressed. There is no way that Israel, as tangled as it is in its illogical and inexcusable conviction of superiority and impunity, will volunteer to uphold Palestinian rights unless it is made clear that there will be costs to ignoring them.

I completely agree with Sarah. The way this debate is framed reflects the selfish nature of the “Israel first” crowd. The BDS crowd does not seek to “bring down” Israel, nor is it driven by hate. I attended PennBDS and I was MOST inspired by the large number of Jewish speakers there who are TIRED of having human rights abused in the name of their religion and heritage. This is not anti-anything EXCEPT anti-abuse of human life, property, and dignity.

This article reflects the greater media bias within the United States, which suggests that the “conflict” is between two equal-sided parties, the Israelis and Palestinians, who have been engaged in “Peace Talks” for the past twenty years, but have not been able to come to agreement.

What this article and the American media at large does not understand is that whereas Jewish citizens of Israel live freely, the Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza are subjected to routine violence, intimidation, and oppression. The state of Israel has continuously expelled Palestinians from their land since 1948, and today they are either incarcerated in an “open-air prison” in Gaza, subject to hundreds of check points and intimidation by the IDF in the West Bank, or they live in a systematically unequal society in Israel. Right now in al Walaja, al Araqib, and East Jerusalem, Palestinians are being forced from their homes to create an ethnically “Jewish state”.

There was a great deal of disagreement among artists, academics, activists, and others at the BDS conference, but what everybody agreed upon was that the systematic violence against the Palestinians meted at by the State of Israel is unconscionable and immoral, and it must be stopped.

The fact that Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the conference, whereas the Chairman of the Board and the President of Penn “expressed… adamant opposition to this agenda” should be a clue to everybody affiliated with the university that this school is on the wrong side of history.

I should say that Jewish citizens of Israel live relatively freely. They are not allowed to call for BDS, they are not allowed to recognize the Nakba – what happened to Palestinians in 1948, and there has been an increase in oppressive laws against women.

Would it be completely out of line to ask:

• When will Penn BDS propose a nice clear resolution to boycott all products imported from Israel? **

It worked with South Africa, as we all know. When will it truly be proposed on this campus, against Israel?

Of course, if we are not “against Israel”, it will never be proposed.

I am incredibly disappointed with the DP for this article. Is this really the best coverage that you can provide of a conference that dozens of students were deeply invested in and cared strongly about? To Penn students that support this NON-VIOLENCE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT for the recognition of the human rights of the Palestinian people, this conference made history. This article does no justice to the events that happened this weekend.

Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly meeting on the question of a Palestinian state: “This meeting is a farce.” Obama (cynically): “Do you think a vote of this Assembly will create a Palestinian state?” The anser is Yes, Mr. Obama. Just as Russia and China squashed the unilaterally supported condemnation of Syria, so Israel and its lackey U.S. by themsleves stifle the world’s desire for a Palestinian state.

There is, of course, another perspective that the Middle East conflict is actually the Arab-Israeli vs. the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which would pit one nation (Israel) against the Palestinians and the 20 states of the Arab League with which they are allied (who, between them, control half the world’s oil resources). And these states, in turn, are allied with the wider Muslim world which ensures (among other things) that votes condemning Israel in the UN are guaranteed (and can then be used as the basis of BDS proposals), while human rights abuses elsewhere are minimized or ignored.

Now this perspective would place attendees at last week’s PennBDS conference squarely on the side of wealth and power, a perspective that the “Palestine First” crowd would rather suppress in favor of a narrative in which they are on the side of the angels.

Perhaps this is more perspective that people involved with the BDS “movement” care to have included in these discussions.

A Jewish state is a state that allows all citizens to have equal rights (and most Palestinians aren’t even citizens), as opposed to most Arab countries which actively persecute non-Muslims and make them dhimmis, or second class citizens.

In fact, Arabs/Palestinians who go to work in a settlement – not just an Israeli town – often receive double the pay they would receive in their own town.

Nearly every Arab country defines themselves as a Muslim country or Arab country. Why can’t Israel define themselves as a Jewish state? Quite simply, it means the majority of the population is Jewish. It doesn’t even mean they have Jewish courts, which they don’t, nor is their basis of the law based on Jewish law (just one example, Tel Aviv was voted the #1 tourist destination for homosexuals).

Quite simply, the international community insisted that a Jewish state be created, as per the Balfour declaration. A Jewish state means that the majority will remain Jewish, and they won’t ever become a minority and lose the only state they have.

Because that’s what is at play here. The only state they have. And if they lose it, then they’ll just go back to the same old persecution they faced for thousands of years, and continue to face.

Is that what you really want?

“The fact that Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the conference…”

You mean THIS Desmond Tutu, the one who is on the Saudi payroll?

www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=193904

“The fact that Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the conference…”

I really do wonder how much the House of Saud pays this lackey.

www.solomonia.com/blog/archive/2007/11/simon-deng-disappearance-of-bishop-tutu/

Desmond Tutu won a Nobel Peace Prize just like my daddy did (Yasir Arafat). Two peas in a pod.

spme.net/cgi-bin/articles.cgi?ID=7913

The author of this article acts surprised that the BDS conference proceeded without conflict and tells about the large security present. There was no need for all that security. They don’t need security from us, we need security from them and besides as the article pointed out they silence dissent so that their indoctrination can go on unchallenged. That’s what the conference is about indoctrination of hatred toward Israel.

^^ Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the conference. Yes, be afraid, be very afraid, these people are obviously hateful terrorists. (NOT!)

Yo writes, “^^ Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the conference. Yes, be afraid, be very afraid, these people are obviously hateful terrorists. (NOT!)”

More cherry-picking by the BDS.

Hamas also supports the BDS movement, but let’s pretend they’re not part of this enlightened debate.

www.jihadwatch.org/2009/01/hamas-in-their-own-voices.html

what happens when an Israeli Arab woman calls the police because her husband is beating her? they respond and address the issue as best they can, as they do in Western cultures.

What happens when an Arab woman calls the police to report the same thing in Saudi Arabia or other Shariah countries? She gets divorced or shunned if she is “lucky,” stoned if not.

In the first example, one might complain that Israeli police, in responding, are imposing western ideals on Israeli Arabs. And if they don’t respond, you complain they don’t provide equal services to Israeli Arabs. The BDS has the same illogic: Israel is damned if it does, damned if it doesn’t, so it would be most convenient for us if it didn’t exist.

Dmaned if we do. Damned if we don’t. The history of the Jews. This time brought to s by the BDS movement.

^^^^^^

www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/06/israel_breathes_world_condemna.html

As long as we’re dealing with dueling YouTube clips, here is an old colleague of Rev. Tutu who seems to have a different opinion regarding Israel than the good Reverend:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k270wYUbGlo

To Arafat: I support you and your posts 100%. I couldn’t say it better than you. Keep up the good work. One thing – this is personal for me and I’m sure many other Jews. Someone I knew was murdered by a Muslim Arab suicide/homicide bomber in Israel in 2006. His only “crime” was going to eat lunch with his dad (who was wounded).

These BDS people should focus on the real human rights abusers if they are sincere about stemming human rights abuses. The so-called Palestinians are taught to hate Jews and as a result, many of them become murderers of innocent Jews like the one who murdered the boy from my community.

Instead, the BDS people are trying to hurt Israel. They are completely disengenouus.

One more thing – Unlike Muslims and Arabs, Jews are not taught to hate Arabs or Muslims, but we are wary of Arabs and Muslims because they hate and murder Jews. Thus, we must take precautions and defend ourselves from those that want to murder us. That’s why the so-called Palestinians have to go through checkpoints and other security procedures in Israel. That’s just common sense!

David,

Thanks for letting me know. It’s appreciated.

The BDS conference was wonderful! A huge thank you to all the organizers and speakers who made this event successful. I hope we have more events like this at Penn and that the movement picks up speed.

Repeating the same empty platitudes about Israel and bigoted stereotypes of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims get us nowhere in advancing a just and peaceful solution. There has been very little conversation on this topic because some people refuse to leave the language of fear and violence. Let’s address the issues: how can we preserve everyone’s rights in an equal system? How can we stop settlements that violate international law and that force Palestinians into open-air prisons? How can we unlearn stereotypes about Jews, Muslims and Christians? We don’t live in a world where we can afford to cling to the violent logic of “might makes right” or the failed rhetoric of fear as a justification for unethical behavior.

“Let’s address the issues: how can we preserve everyone’s rights in an equal system?”

By emulating Israel instead of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt or the other Muslim countries who treat the Palestinians like dirt.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“How can we stop settlements that violate international law and that force Palestinians into open-air prisons?”

Prisons, eh? That’s rich! Prisons with multiple wives, multiple TV sets, multiple baths and bedrooms and cars. Sounds just like Alcatraz to me. LOL.

^^^^^^^^^

We can move forward when we look the truth in the face instead of emulating Joseph Goebbels. That, at least, would make for a good start.

To Cookie: I wish I could “leave the language of fear and violence” as you say, but Jewish Israelis live under a constant threat of violence from Muslim Arabs, to the point that many businesses in Israel have to hire private security to search the bags of patrons and there are many other examples. This is not based on “bigoted stereotypes of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims” , but a pattern of terrorist murders in Israel perpetrating by Muslim Arabs.

@Arafat, I’m only going to address your last comment, but the rest are equally ludicrous – I just don’t have time to correct every made-up “fact” that you’re throwing out.

Israel’s discrimination against its Palestinian population has been documented by Amnesty, B’Tselem, and Human Rights Watch, among others. Palestinians have unequal access to water, education, and electricity. They are denied building permits to build on their own land, and entire communities are displaced to make way for Jews-only settlements. They cannot marry an Israeli and live together in Israel; they cannot immigrate into Israel; they cannot travel on Jew-only roads; and they are denied access to their own lands and resources (including essential resources such as water), as well as access to quality education and medical treatment, by checkpoints and barriers. The “equality” you speak of is a fiction.

In Gaza, the borders, imports, exports, food, water, electricity, airspace, and coastline are controlled by Israel. According to the United Nations, many Gazan children are malnourished, and many Gazans are entirely dependent on food aid, simply because Israel refuses to allow sufficient food into the territory. Schools, sewage plants, and factories for refining and creating basic essentials such as flour, have been shut down due to Israeli restrictions.

If you’d like an eye-opener, try this UN report: http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/9A265F2A909E9A1D8525772E004FC34B

To find out more about the actual situation in the Palestinian territories, search online for the free Veritas Handbook. Rather than invoking Nazism with the spectre of Joseph Goebbels, it might do you some good to actually discover what the truth is.