A letter from James Ansel posits that the global movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the Jewish state is a “human rights movement.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. By singling out the national homeland of the Jewish people, BDS is at its core an anti-Semitic movement.
Rather than rely on Ansel, I refer your readers to the words of Omar Barghouti, the founder of BDS.
He said, “A Jewish state in Palestine in any shape or form cannot but contravene the basic rights of the indigenous Palestinian population…Definitely, most definitely we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian, rational Palestinian, not a sell-out Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
Saying the BDS movement rejects anti-Semitism is patently false. Zionism represents the age-old yearning of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland. BDS openly targets the Jewish state for “eradication.”
The U.N. has repeatedly sanctioned Israel for alleged human rights abuses while ignoring the worlds’ worst offenders, including the Palestinian Authority and Iran.
Ansel admits in a passive voice that “killing by both sides has taken place” but reveals his own anti-Semitic attitude with his claim that Israel engages in “wars of ethnic cleansing.” This is simply a modern-day version of the blood libel.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups in Gaza are militaries. They have indiscriminately fired thousands of missiles into Israeli communities and built a network of tunnels under hospitals, schools and homes.
The latest tool, incendiary kites, has resulted in the burning of 10,000 acres of farmland. Israel’s military has received praise from the US Defense Department for its highly ethical rules of engagement for operating in civilian areas.
I don’t expect Ansel to accept the truth but his lies cannot be allowed to go unanswered.
Robert Spitalnick
Great Neck
