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Today’s Top BDS Stories:
1.Israel Apartheid Week video manipulated image of student to appear supportive of BDS.
In an interview with The Algemeiner, Brandeis University senior Joshua Nass said, “I am disgusted with this video.”
“This is all faked. They fraudulently edited in my image to make it seem I support their anti-Israel smears, when I am one of the student leaders speaking out the most loudly in favor of Israel.”
2. Luxembourg pension fund bans investment in Israeli banks.
Israel’s banks are on the list because of their involvement in “financing illegal settlements in occupied territories (State of Palestine).” Other firms, such as Motorola, are also on the list for “assisting in human rights violations in occupied territories (State of Palestine),” as is the Africa Israel real estate corporation (AFI) for “supporting construction of illegal settlements in occupied territories (State of Palestine).”
3. German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismisses talk of German boycott of Israeli goods. However, she expressed support for labeling products from the West Bank. US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power also said the US remained opposed to boycotts against Israel.
Meanwhile, diplomatic officials downplaying impact of potential European boycotts.
EU diplomats say business with firms operating in the settlements, such as skincare company Ahava, represent less than 1 percent of all Israeli-EU trade, which last year totaled $36.7 billion, up from $20.9 billion a decade earlier.
The European Union matters because it is Israel’s largest trading partner and it is the only place where murmurings of sanctions have so far been raised outside the Arab world, where only Egypt and Jordan have formal ties with Israel.
Other BDS-Related Content:
* Vijeta Uniyal describes the dynamic at work at Israel Apartheid Week.
The terrible beauty of the BDS campaign is that it does not have to bind itself to facts. This fact-free campaign is all about emotions. The campaign scouts interest groups, communities and campuses for “grievances”. Their game plan is to whip up emotions, ratchet up the hate, and present the mob with a target, namely Israel.
The fact that their issues and grievances have nothing to do with Israel doesn’t really bother BDS campaigners.
There is something for everyone. An all-inclusive package to fight “evil corporations”, “apartheid”, “racism”, “militarism”, “gender oppression” — or any other perceived discriminations. On university campuses all across Europe and North America, the BDS’s message is simple: “If you have a grievance worth getting mad about, we have just the right punching bag for you.”
* Even the ASA’s own chapters are starting to fall. The California chapter said it will not participate in academic boycott against Israel.
* Haaretz continues to focus on West Bank boycotts carried out by Israelis.
*Some links to check out for Israel Apartheid Week (IAW):
Facebook pages of university campaigns against IAW
https://www.facebook.com/StopBDSatUCLA
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rutgers-Students-Against-BDS/291633170989013
CAMERA’s resource on fighting the Apartheid lie.
http://www.israeliapartheidweek.com/
A video from StandWithUS showing what a divestment debate on campus looks like.
