Opinion: Letter
Setting things straight on Israel
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Calling a country “criminal” is dangerous, especially when the arguments for doing so are misleading and faulty, like in Sam Stevenson’s recent column (“UW must divest from Caterpillar,” Oct. 14). Unfortunately, many, including Mr. Stevenson, have fallen into this trap — urging the UW System Board of Regents to pull investments from certain corporations that do business with Israel. There’s no denying that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex on both sides. But adopting such a narrow-minded approach, as Stevenson does, neglects the real issues at hand and causes more harm than good in promoting peaceful resolutions.
Concern for the living situation of innocent Palestinians is undoubtedly important, and to assert that all Palestinians are terrorists would be foolish. However, using this as context to analyze the Israeli operation in Gaza earlier this year is misleading.
Roughly 1,200 Palestinians were, in fact, killed during Operation Cast Lead. Yet, several independent news agencies now estimate that two-thirds of those killed in the Gaza incursion belonged to Hamas or other terrorist organizations. In the end, roughly 300 people were identified as civilians — a disheartening number, but certainly not an intended one.
Though Stevenson parenthetically admits Hamas may have also been at guilt, Human Rights Watch has already taken a harder stance, saying the group’s targeting of Israeli civilians constitutes “blatant violations of the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”
Stevenson argues that divestment from Caterpillar — one of the largest manufacturers of bulldozers — is one way the UW System can denounce the “cruel and gratuitous mistreatment of Palestinians.” But where’s the logic in this assertion? Should we then refuse to fly on Boeing airplanes simply because the corporation also produces fighter jets? One should also note the other side — in the past few years, several Palestinians have used Caterpillar bulldozers to kill innocent Israelis in the streets of Jerusalem.
But if divestment from companies and products used by the Israel Defense Forces is the best avenue toward coexistence and security, one ought to consider divesting from some other companies. Intel chips, developed by Israeli researchers, are used by the IDF. Should we then not use the majority of our computers? Israeli forces also use Jeeps, so should we also not buy Jeep SUVs?
These are clearly ridiculous notions, as is the entire notion of divestment from Israel. The real focus should not be on divestment, but rather investment.
Peace won’t come from single-minded initiatives, seeking only to blame one side. Peace will come from education and creative efforts to promote dialogue, reconciliation and humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, these concepts are all lacking in the efforts of those who urge divestment.
Abram Shanedling
Senior, journalism, political science, Middle-Eastern Studies
President, Madison-Israel Public Affairs Committee (MadPAC)
shanedling@wisc.edu
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“Human Rights Watch has already taken a harder stance, saying the group’s targeting of Israeli civilians constitutes “blatant violations of the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”
Which is surprising, considering that Human Rights Watch has a resident military expert, Marc Garlasco, is an avid collector of Nazi memorabilia.
Yeah, boycotting companies that do business with Israel is a pretty stupid idea. Some liberal trash out there suggest we all switch to Apple computers and ditch Windows PC’s altogether, because the innards of the Windows operating system was designed by a Microsoft development team in Haifa, Israel. Unfortunately, Apple switched to Intel processors a while back. Intel is also on the boycott list. Same thing with Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has long been thought to be a Jewish-owned company. It was founded by a Methodist name Asa Chandler, who bought the formula from John Pemberton, a man of Jewish descent but was probably not a practicing Jew himself.
So when all the stupid liberals finally grow a brain and see the situation for what it really is, maybe we can finally move forward with the real solution, which is to get all those Arab countries to take in the Palestinians and let Israel have all its original land back. Screw the 1967 borders, it all belonged to Israel more than 2,000 years ago. I don’t care what liberals or those stupid Muslims try to tell us.
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So because Jews lived in Palestine 2,000 years ago, they have the “right” to move back in, unannounced, a couple of millennia later? Following that same logic, the successors of any historical empire, be they Germans, Romans, Greeks, Russians, etc… have the exact same “right” to reconquer lost territory. Now, Jews have not had it easy historically and I understand the the Jews’ affinity for Israel, but to so callously pay no heed to the concerns of Palestinians is also something no reasonable person can justify.
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Learn some history before you go spouting off a strawman’s argument like this. By trying to imply that Jews are wrong for moving into the region known as Palestine, you are also implying it was wrong for England to colonize North America, South Africa, Australia, etc. You are saying it was wrong for Spain to colonize Mexico and the Phillipines. You are saying Portugal was wrong to colonize Brazil, etc., etc.
Do you not realize that Palestine as a country did not exist either? The land belonged to Jordan, and when the British conquered and colonized the land, they kept it, and it later became Israel. How is this any different than any other British colonization that resulted in later independence?
There are people born every day in Israel. There are plenty of young people who were born in Israel long after its creation. Are you going to tell them to, in today’s society where colonization is no longer acceptable, pack up their bags and leave? There are plenty of arabs who live in Israel and identify as Israeli citizens. Are you going to tell them that they are entitled to the land instead just because of their ethnicity? Isn’t that, oh I don’t know, racist?
Honestly there should be a one state solution where persons of Israeli and Palestinian descent both share the land and have equal rights and representation. Since that is currently not possible (as neither side wants it), a two state solution is best.
And trying to punish Israel for a war that was in response to Hamas aggression only reeks of anti-semitism. Where were you when Sudanese president Omar al Bashir killed 200,000 of his own people with his islamic militias? Why hasn’t anyone punished him for Darfur? What about the situation in Burma? There are so many other more grave genocides occuring in the world and yet these countries go unpunished and even supported. It is completely hypocritical to give so much unnecessary weight to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while ignoring the other human rights abuses going on in this world.
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Yup, and Native Americans get the continental US back.
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“Yet, several independent news agencies now estimate that two-thirds of those killed in the Gaza incursion belonged to Hamas or other terrorist organizations.” Really? If that was the case I would expect you to be able to list these “independent” news sources. Face it Israel undoubtedly discriminates against its Arab citizens while terrorizing the Palestinians in the territories which it illegally occupies. A true solution to the conflict would be honesty on both sides. When Barak and Ismail Haniyeh are both facing trial in the same international court that’s when there will peace. The culture of impunity that Israel has capitalized on for the past 61 years needs to come to an end, that’s when you will see a solution.
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“Culture of Impunity”?! Really?! Then why would such a country invest so much in humanitarian efforts for the Palestinians? And why would the media ever decide to cover this?
http://bit.ly/26BgLQ
http://bit.ly/PuMGs
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boycott boeing!
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“Peace won’t come from single-minded initiatives, seeking only to blame one side.”
So treating Hitler and Stalin as morally virtuous is the path to peace? I think not.
There can be no peace with terrorist groups bent on destroying you. The only path to peace is for Israel (and the US) to adopt a single-minded defense of freedom. This means disarming, destroying and/or killing any group or regime that threatens the lives of it’s citizens.
Hamas has openly declared its intent to destroy Israel and the Palestinians voted this group into power. Israel has every right to use whatever force necessary to prevent Hamas from continued aggression.
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One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. The problem with your argument is your point of view. There are two sides that could work together and find common ground. Over 20% of Israel’s population is Arab, so there is already peaceful coexistance to build upon.
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Not when that 20% has nothing in common with terrorists outside of religion. You can’t reason with terrorists hell bent on destroying you.
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“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”
PLEASE! If you can’t tell the difference between protecting freedom and seeking to destroy it - between a police man and a murderer - you’d better examine your ideas a bit closer.
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Oh please. So it’s alright to kill people as long as you’re trying to protect them. The police can’t ever never murder anyone.
Things are never that black and white. Are we murderers or policemen in Afghanistan? Is an Afghani who kills an American soldier a freedom fighter because they want a foreign army to leave their country? It all depends on perspective.
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I guess you have to ask yourself, “whose freedom”?
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“Are we murderers or policemen in Afghanistan? Is an Afghani who kills an American soldier a freedom fighter because they want a foreign army to leave their country? It all depends on perspective.”
No it doesn’t depend on perspective, it depends on the facts. The fact is that the American soldier is acting to kill Taliban terrorists who are a threat to Afghanis and Americans. It is objectively good to kill such people because they do not respect freedom and the rights of people.
The Afghani who kills an American soldier because he doesn’t want a foreign army there has NO RIGHT to demand such a thing. His country is harboring terrorists who are a threat to Americans, so his country had better dismantle this threat or allow the American solder to do so.
If this Afghani cared about his freedom he would join the Americans in fighting against the Taliban.
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By that reasoning, you could have the UN patrolling Boston, New York or Denver; all of which have been “harboring” terrorists in the past 10 years. What about neo-Nazis, tea baggers, radical preachers, Klansmen, and abortion clinic bombers? It sounds like we have our own simmering Taliban right here.
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By what reasoning? By the reasoning of the previous comment, you need to distinguish between a corrupt organization such as the UN, which invites dictators like Iran’s president over for tea, and the tea party protesters who are voicing their opposition to government incursions on their life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
If you fail to recognize the essential distinction between a abortion clinic bomber and someone peacefully exercising their first amendment right to political free speech, then I don’t know how to help you.
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“So because Jews lived in Palestine 2,000 years ago, they have the “right” to move back in, unannounced, a couple of millennia later?”
Damn right! And everybody else in Israel who is not a Jew can just get the hell out. They have plenty of places where they can go. Jews don’t.
“Face it Israel undoubtedly discriminates against its Arab citizens while terrorizing the Palestinians in the territories which it illegally occupies.”
Israel is not currently occupying anything other than Israel.
“A true solution to the conflict would be honesty on both sides.”
Except for the other side, of course. So tell me, why do you accept every bit of BS that comes out of the Hamas rumor mill? Care to explain your unflinching allegiance to a bunch of terrorists?
“boycott boeing!”
Boycott yo mama!
“The culture of impunity that Israel has capitalized on for the past 61 years needs to come to an end, that’s when you will see a solution.”
Nope. Ask Hamas and Hezbollah if they’ll answer for all the attacks on Israelis. If you’ve read your history, you wouldn’t be surprised at their answer.
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“Damn right! And everybody else in Israel who is not a Jew can just get the hell out. They have plenty of places where they can go. Jews don’t.”
Then I hope you feel like moving somewhere else. America once belonged to an often forgotten group of people often referred to as native americans (indigenous peoples), and last I checked there are plenty of places white people can go, put Native Americans (gasp) don’t. Wake up and smell your hypocrisy before making inflammatory statements about a group of people you know nothing about. IF YOU WERE BORN IN PALESTINE YOU VERY WELL COULD BE WHAT OTHER CULTURES CALL A TERRORIST.
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You aren’t a terrorist just for being Palestinian. A Palestinian becomes a terrorist the second he fires the rocket into Israeli houses.
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Who the hell cares about Muslims?! Why are they so hellbent on taking over the world? And they’re always ranting about “Jewish conspiracies” as if we’ve never heard of the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. Sounds more like what Muslims are up to than Jews. Notice that the only people who believe any of that crap are the lesser educated losers who have no control over their own lives. Ever had to sit next to one of these assholes in class? They just sit there seething with anger at those of us who refuse to accept one word of their BS as fact. I don’t even want to be around any of these psychos.
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7:14PM, why don’t YOU go back to where you came from? Obviously you’re not native-born. By your logic, you have less right to be here than anyone else. I bet you are a Muslims too, in which case you have no right being in this hemisphere.
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Doesn’t that fact that Palestinians allegedly used Caterpillar bulldozers to kill Israelis just further Mr. Stevenson’s argument that the company should be divested from to send a message that the UW does not endorse a company that vends products to customers that use them for criminal activity? Judging from the reception of the UN report harshly criticizing Israel for the invasion of Gaza lend further credence to Mr. Stevenson’s case. I don’t understand why critics of Mr. Stevenson’s article, including the author of this letter, refuse to acknowledge Israeli wrongdoing and the grossly excessive use of force displayed earlier this year. In regards to the other companies mentioned in this article, it was clear that Mr. Stevenson targeted Caterpillar because of its direct link to the committing of war crimes, a case not easily made by targeting Intel. How is it dangerous and misleading to call Israel a criminal nation when multiple third-parties have documented the incidents in which Israel has grossly violated international law? I agree with Mr. Stevenson that progress toward peace cannot be made unless people become willing to criticize Israel for its own crimes. The single minded support of Israel is just perpetuating the undue hatred toward Palestinians. It should also be noted that Jews in Israel will become a minority in the country if current demographic trends continue. This fact gives the Israelis even more incentive to treat the Palestinians in a humane and just manner.
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Who wrote that harsh report? The UN you say? The same group that failed to stop (or even slow) the Rwandan genocide, or the US from invading Iraq, or solve the genocide in Sudan? Or do anything useful? Yeah, that report SURE means a lot to the Israelis facing down the rockets day after day.
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I don’t care how many Palestinians Israel kills. They deserve what they get anyway. I’d still like to know why no Arab countries will take in the Palestinians. They know damn well Israel isn’t giving up one more inch of land, for peace or otherwise. And the UN can go f* themselves, including the member nations that didn’t vote at all. A lot they care about peace.
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Wow, you sir, are incredibly racist. How do you sleep at night harboring ill will to an entire ethnic group?
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This gratuitous charge of “racism” against those who oppose Islamo-fascism is a thinly veiled attempt to bully free thinkers into silence. “Shut up”, he explained.
Shut up yourself.
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9:53AM wrote: “Doesn’t that fact that Palestinians allegedly used Caterpillar bulldozers to kill Israelis just further Mr. Stevenson’s argument that the company should be divested from to send a message that blah-blah-blah…”
Dude, you’re talking about boycotting American companies. American! Meaning millions of Americans would be thrown out of work because of the boycott. Hello? What makes you think that millions of Americans are willing to live on the street and dumpster-dive just to please you? Are you nuts?! Do you actually hate Jews and Israel so much that you want other Americans to share in your misery.
Kid, and I mean KID, get a life! We’re in a recession right now. The whole world doesn’t revolve around you and your stupid Muslim friends. You and your fellow extremists are asking way too much if you believe we care. Muslims would continue to kill each other off over there regardless of whether Israel exists or if we have a military presence over there. Sorry, but we in the West would rather end our dependency on foreign oil and get our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan than put up with your crap another day.
Stop trying to turn us all into Jew-haters and make us feel guilty for your lousy lot on life! We don’t want to hear it! We hear it every day from you! F* off!