Last Friday, the Alligator published a column titled, “Don’t be rude about BDS movement,” in which the author defended the movement that seeks to boycott and sanction the State of Israel. The column contained multiple misconceptions and inaccuracies.
The author describes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement as “a political movement that calls for businesses and consumers to boycott products manufactured in territory illegally occupied by Israel.” If the author read the official BDS movement charter, he would discover this is false. The movement calls for the complete boycott of all Israeli goods, whether they are produced or live in “occupied” territories. It simply works to delegitimize Israel as a Jewish state, rejecting any Zionist views. The BDS movement seeks only to end the Jewish state. The movement’s co-founder, Omar Barghouti, hopes for an Arab majority state that would outnumber the Jewish population and eliminate its character.
Next, the author argues, “the Israeli military has transferred Israeli civilians from Israel into suburb-style settlements built on land that has belonged to Palestinians for centuries, displacing residents and destroying farmland and villages in the process.” This is another misconception, because Israeli settlements are mostly built on state land, meaning the majority of settlements are built on territory no previous Arab population inhabited. Most settlements are also built in areas near the pre-1967 border. Israel, being a modern democratic country, respects the rule of law. Therefore, if anyone builds on another person’s property, the owner of the property can appeal to courts. Likewise, compensation is provided to the owners in case of expropriations.
Furthermore, the future of the settlements is supposed to be the result of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians following the Oslo agreements. Israel has offered various concessions throughout the years: At Camp David in 2000 Israel offered 90 percent of the West Bank with land swaps to compensate for certain settlements in the area. Israel also accepted the Clinton Parameters offered that year, which proposed withdrawal from 96 percent of the West Bank.
The Palestinians rejected all of these proposals. Instead, they have pursued unilateral international declarations, using the United Nations’ hostility toward Israel as a weapon while avoiding direct negotiations with Israel on a final status agreement.
Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza and dismantled its settlements from the strip. Instead of getting recognition for the move, Israel was bombed from Gaza by the radical extremist organization Hamas and other Palestinian guerrilla groups. These attacks intensified after Hamas took Gaza by force, forcing Israel to defend itself.
Lastly, the author justifies the BDS movement by claiming Israel exploits Palestinian laborers. He states, “Palestinian laborers in the West Bank are subject to Israeli military law without any civil rights” and that, “workers in the illegally occupied territories have no right to sue or even bargain with their employers.”
This is also untrue. Orders issued by Israel’s military commander made Israel’s Minimum Wages Law applicable to Palestinian workers in the settlements. International law states that an “occupying country” is supposed to apply the law that the local population followed before occupation. Thus, Israel maintained Jordanian labor laws on the Palestinian population. However, the High Court of Justice issued a 2007 ruling stating Palestinians who lived in the West Bank but worked for Israelis were entitled to the same work conditions as those provided to Israelis by the state’s domestic Minimum Wages Law, including pay and vacation days. Palestinians can therefore use this High Court ruling to demand equal conditions — and indeed they have.
The BDS movement claims to be motivated by justice and human rights. In reality, it is a vicious propaganda campaign that threatens the existence of Israel by promoting misinformation and defamation that serves only hatred, not progress.
However, I do agree with the author that we should stop being rude to BDS supporters: Instead, we should deconstruct their arguments to show what the movement truly represents.
Julian Fleischman is a UF telecommunication and political science junior.
