[lbo-talk] Palestine Think Tank: Jeff Blankfort - Chomsky and Palestine: Asset or Liability?

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Thu Jul 22 07:51:47 PDT 2010


On Jul 22, 2010, at 10:31 AM, SA wrote:


> On the third hand, all of these objectives can be satisfied with BDS of *US* (or other) firms with investments in Israel or that do business with the Israeli mil-ind complex, so I can't understand why there's a need to target Marks and Spencer, a campaign that really does creep me out. Finally, if there's one rationale that does *not* trump anything it's that some number of Palestinian groups are calling for BSD. There may be a duty to stand with your own society's victims, but there's no obligation to slavishly adopt their political analysis. The ultimate objective of a solidarity campaign (if it's ever to work) is to change politics in the *US*, and I don't see how Palestinian groups are better placed to judge various tactics on that front.

By the way, there's something to the J Street argument that AIPAC is more and more a paper tiger whose bluff is worth calling. It would seem a lot more fruitful use of activists' time to topple some Congressional pillars of Israeli support than organizing boycotts of sandals and olive oil.

Doug



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