Showing posts with label BDS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BDS. Show all posts

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Lies and Propaganda - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY

Lies and Propaganda

Sunday, October 22, 2017 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY
As new settlement construction gets underway in Israel’s disputed territories, a fresh wave of condemnation is expected.
Accusations that the Jewish state is practicing apartheid – supposedly over its ‘illegal occupation’ and ‘treatment of the Palestinians’ – will inevitably be trotted out, adding fuel to the fire of a Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement masquerading as a compassionate supporter of oppressed Palestinians, but in actual fact demonstrating another form of anti-Semitism.
Before tackling this gross misuse of the ‘apartheid’ tag, it’s worth saying that BDS has taken a series of knocks of late – both in the courts and in the legislative arena. In Spain, for example, 24 legal rulings and expert opinions were made against the movement and, in France, one court decision ordered that a financial penalty be imposed on BDS activists demonstrating outside supermarkets calling on consumers to boycott Israeli products.
In the United States, several pieces of legislation against the movement have been ratified. In Texas, for instance, a law was passed forbidding ties with, or investment in, companies that boycott Israel.
According to Ynetnews, such success has benefited from investment in a legal battle by Israel’s Justice Ministry now under Ayelet Shaked. Even actress Greta Gerwig regrets putting her name to a letter calling for the cancellation of a play based on a novel by Israeli author David Grossman and funded by Israel’s Office of Cultural Affairs in North America – a letter denounced as “hypocritical, discriminatory and dangerous” by nearly 50 high-level entertainment industry executives.
Creative Community for Peace, dedicated to countering the cultural boycott of Israel and including Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake among its members, claim credit for persuading Gerwig to retract her support. “I was unfamiliar with the complexities of the letter and I did not take the time to study them,” she conceded.
Meanwhile claims that Israel is an apartheid state are described as “an absolute lie” and a mockery of the struggle her parents went through by Olga Meshoe, daughter of a South African MP who grew up under the apartheid system.
There is no doubt that international sanctions helped to end that oppressive regime, but comparisons with Israel are outrageous, according to many South Africans like Olga (myself included). Opponents of Israel have been using the ‘apartheid’ tag “to incite and encourage the destruction of a people just because you don’t like them,” she said. “The world needs to recognize that you are not only doing an injustice to the people in the Middle East; you’re making a mockery of what our parents went through.”
Olga and her father Kenneth are founders of DEISI – Defend, Embrace, Invest, Support Israel – part of Africa’s growing movement towards closer ties with the Jewish state.
The irony of the Jewish ‘apartheid’ claim is that Ramadan Dabbash, head of a Palestinian village in Jerusalem, says almost all the city’s Arabs would prefer to live peacefully under Israeli administration.
It is the Palestinian leaders, he said, who destroy the chances for peace with non-stop incitement of Palestinian youth, diversion of funds to terror and a resultant lack of economic growth in Palestinian-controlled areas.
Also on the BDS front, I recall that Boris Johnson, on his last tour of Israel, condemned a boycott proposed by what he termed “corduroy-jacketed academics”. He said: “I cannot think of anything more foolish than to say you want to have any kind of sanctions or divestment or boycott against a country that, when all is said and done, is the only democracy in the region; and that is the only place, in my view, which has an open, pluralistic society.”
I need to add that, just because I commend a politician on his/her stand for Israel doesn’t mean I applaud them wholeheartedly or necessarily regard them as morally superior. But it is a chink of light, as the Bible is quite clear – those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed (Genesis 12.3).
And I very much doubt if the boycott advocates would go all the way in their efforts if they really knew the extent of the merchandise produced by little old Israel, or by Jewish people in other lands. It would mean a change of lifestyle few would be prepared to contemplate.
We are not just talking about oranges, Sharon fruit, and a few other products we could easily leave out of our shopping baskets without upsetting our appetites too much. Are they prepared to sacrifice their mobile phones, computers, and so many other trappings of modern life for the cause? It is no secret that Israel has long been an international hub in the development and production of modern technology from which we all now benefit and without which much of our commerce would grind to a shuddering halt.
For example, you would have to stop googling for all that vital information as Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are both Jews. You would have to close down your Facebook account because 31-year-old Jewish-American Mark Zuckerberg founded the facility. You would have to stop watching Steven Spielberg movies and throw out all your Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand albums. And, to top it all, you would need to close down your computers as Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer and Dell Computers founder and CEO Michael Dell are both Jewish.
In closing, may I recommend Israel’s delicious mangoes, available at Sainsbury’s. And, if you’re looking for the perfect setting for a special occasion, I could point you in the direction of the world’s No 1 restaurant (according to Tripadvisor) – the Black Swan at Oldstead, near Thirsk, in North Yorkshire – which includes Israeli wine on its menu…at a cost!

Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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Monday, July 31, 2017

Ross bill pulls state (North Carolina) out of companies that boycott Israel - The Times-News Burlington, North Carolina

Rep. Stephen Ross, R-Burlington

Ross bill pulls state (North Carolina) out of companies that boycott Israel

By The Times-News  Burlington, North Carolina
Posted Jul 27, 2017


North Carolina will divest from companies that boycott Israel after Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law a bill sponsored by Rep. Stephen Ross, R-Burlington.

Ross filed “H161 — Divestment From Companies That Boycott Israel” on Feb. 21 with Reps. Jon Hardister, R-Guilford, and John Szoka, R-Cumberland. Cooper signed the bill Thursday.

“H161 will strengthen the state’s economic ties with Israel and show North Carolina’s dedication to one of our closest allies,” Ross’ office said Thursday.

The bill requires divestment from, and prohibits state agencies from contracting with, companies that boycott Israel. It also amends existing Sudan and Iran Divestment statutes.

“Today is a significant day for North Carolina,” Ross said. “It’s important for our state to stand with Israel against boycotts that threaten Israel’s sovereignty. This bill protects North Carolina’s economy from efforts to restrict trade and affirms our state’s economic commitments to Israel.”

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Iran Bombs 'Star of David' for Target Practice; Israel Attacks Syrian Position after Rocket Fire - United with Israel

United with Israel
Boycotting Israel is Legal in UK; Israel Tells UN to Defend Truth about Hebron; NY Mayor Praises Israel, Blasts BDS, Vows to Protect Jews

June 29, 2017

Iran Uses Star of David as Target for Missile Practice
ACT FOR ISRAEL! Demand that UN Stop Giving Platform to Pro-Terror Organizations
Israel Attacks Syrian Position in Golan Heights in Response to Rocket Fire
 
Boycotting Israel is Legal, UK High Court Rules 
Israel to UN: Defend the Truth About Hebron! 
Syrian Opposition Leader: Real Enemy is Iran, Not Israel 
New York Mayor Blasts BDS, Praises Israel, Vows to Defend Jews 
Israeli Knesset Speaker, Former Soviet Prisoner Addresses Russian Parliament in Hebrew 
WATCH: How Trump Should Respond if Assad Uses Chemical Weapons 
ISIS Bomber Mistakenly Kills 12 Terrorists 
Obama’s Cyber Security Adviser: Russia Did not Decide US Election 
Iranian Leaders Call for Muslim Unity in ‘Fight Against Zionist Regime’ 
Research Shows Use of Plant Dyes on Textiles in Ancient Israel 
WATCH: How Did Israel Become a Global Cyber Defense Leader? 
Israeli Startup CardiacSense Develops Smartwatch Heart Monitor 
Facts Show: Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis is Fake News, Professor Says 
 

 
 
 
www.unitedwithisrael.org
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USA: 1-888-ZION-613 
Israel: +972-2-533-7841

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

New Pro-Israel Online Social Activism Platform Launches - Israel Today

New Pro-Israel Online Social Activism Platform Launches

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 |  Israel Today Staff
ACT.IL is an online platform that leverages the power of communities and organized online activity to fight BDS and the demonization of the state of Israel.
It is a first of a kind app that organizes the pro-Israel community to work together via social media, thus creating a wide scale impact on the hearts and minds of global publics.
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Thursday, June 1, 2017

BDS Strikes Again - This Time in Lebanon - Thursday, June 01, 2017 | Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY


BDS Strikes Again - This Time in Lebanon

Thursday, June 01, 2017 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY
Lebanese authorities banned the new Wonder Woman movie Wednesday hours before it was due to premiere in the capital Beirut following a campaign against its lead actress, Gal Gadot, who served in the Israeli army, a security official and activists said.
A premiere scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled at the last minute as the ban began to take hold.
Lebanon is officially at war with Israel as the two countries have faced off in a number of wars the latest in 2006 which left much of the Lebanese infrastructure battered and left hundreds dead.
"This time around the campaign bore fruit in contradiction to the previous campaign against the movie "Batman v Superman", in which Gadot also starred," said Rania Masri a campaigner against the screening of the movie.
Masri further said, "it was 'different' this time because of a major media push against the movie that has helped the ban."
The leading al-Akhbar newspaper had a front page article titled "The Israeli soldier has no place in Lebanon."
Gadot had praised the IDF's actions during the 2014 Gaza-Israel war sending prayers to, "soldiers who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas", she wrote on her Facebook page.
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