{"id":8038,"date":"2011-08-09T21:54:11","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T20:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gaza.haimbresheeth.com\/?p=8038"},"modified":"2011-08-15T13:07:50","modified_gmt":"2011-08-15T12:07:50","slug":"august-9-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/2011\/08\/09\/august-9-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"August 9, 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR: War Zone in London<\/span><\/p>\n

While other countries’ populations are involved in poliutical protest against tyrants and anti-social leaders bringing about wide devastation, the youth of Britain seems to be involved in something rather differnt…<\/span><\/p>\n

Living in Haringay, and working in East London, I have to contend with the new realities, like most of us Londoners. The piece below has nothing to do with Gaza, has it? Well, maybe it has a little to do with Gaza – the streets of London, in parts, now resemble Gaza more than they resemble the rest of Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

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London is Burning<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Haim Bresheeth<\/p>\n

Yes, London is burning. Again. How utterly surprising and unbelievable. Of course, we are told, it is nothing like the 1980s. Nothing whatsoever to do with it. You watch the news and are told that there are different stories unfolding: Capitalism is choking itself (and us, in the process) to a painful death, not in one country, but across the globe. The future, so to speak, is behind us. There is nothing to look forward to but sweat and tears, and richer bankers than ever.<\/p>\n

Then, in a total disconnect, we see the sights of chaos and destruction on the streets of London \u2013 feral youth on the rampage, harming what they find, destroying their \u2018communities\u2019, setting fire to shops and homes, attacking the police. Of course, there is no connection between the stories. No connection to a society where democracy has become meaningless, where elections cannot change the situation of most people, where the feral elite rules supreme, with their millions, billions and zillions \u2013 where their greed is the only force now moving society.<\/p>\n

David Cameron has spoken of \u2018broken Britain\u2019. It is here and now \u2013 he has managed to break it within one year, like Mrs. Thatcher before him; Ina short while it became quite clear to young people that there is nothing to look forward to, at the same time that they are exposed to the shenanigans of the feral elite, the corrupt connections between the politicians in power, the media barons, the police and the financiers \u2013 a concoction of lethal power ruling our broken Britain. The enormous greed which is the organizing principle of this society, has now seemingly percolated down to the lower social echelons \u2013 the youth breaking into a phone shop to get an iPhone, to get new trainers, and to light a few fires on the way, like their elders in the banking community, which have left a world of burnt earth behind them.<\/p>\n

No. There is no connection whatsoever. The Middle Class cannot face its image in the broken media mirror of the fires, the looting, the chaos and thieving, the breakdown of the order of things. And yet, it is them who have brought this about, by supporting the same politics which have destroyed British society a number of times before. It is the society which supports military takeover of other countries, of inflicting untold violence on their societies in Iraq and Afghanistan, of supporting the elites who, while preaching for the rest of us to have a \u2018haircut\u2019, are piling enormous loot in tax havens.<\/p>\n

The morality of the ruling elite has won, it seems, and the young people have understood \u2013 you don\u2019t get anything for the asking \u2013 this capitalism is feral and inhumane, and if you wish to get anything, you must take it. Greed has been seen as good by the New Labour politicians who spent their time with its worst proponents, so we can hardly be surprised at Tories sharing their liking of greed. But now, greed has come a full circle.\u00a0 We can all see the end scene, with the fires burning quietly through the sultry nights of the Summer of Fear. London has turned into a warzone, people have lost their homes and businesses, and, would you believe it, the PM of broken Britain was forced to end his holiday early! \u00a0What is the world coming to? What next?<\/p>\n

Tomorrow, as the TV crews will film the glowing embers of this night\u2019s fires, and the news of the collapse of more firms, of more cuts, of less jobs, of the world economy tumbling \u2013 we will be told all this is simply the results of one man being shot by the police. Yes, like the Arab Spring was started by one man burning himself in Tunis, like the Intifada in Palestine having started by the IDF killing a girl in a road accident\u2026<\/p>\n

What lights the fuse is of course immaterial. What is important is the fact that there is a bomb, there is fuse, and there is the desperate will to light it. If not one event, it will be another. The bomb is there now, being put there by the Greedy Class, by feral elites, by \u2018muscular democrats\u2019 like Mr. Cameron, the author and creator of Broken Britain. All the King\u2019s horses and all the king\u2019s men may fail to put Old Blighty together again.<\/p>\n

EDITOR<\/strong>: THE BDS campaign continues to change realities!<\/span><\/p>\n

hWith French company Veolia in mortal trouble, with more and more companies refusing to work in and with Israel, the Lush story is typical.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lush: Saudia Arabia gets under our skin<\/a>: The Jewish Chronicle<\/h3>\n

July 28, 2011
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not just their exfoliant that makes my face go red!\u201d
\nSkincare company Lush says concerns about the lack of a “mixed” workforce would prevent it opening a store in Israel – but it operates stores in Saudi Arabia.
\nAnd this week the company, which has just opened a new store in Brent Cross, north-west London, defended its decision to promote a pro-Palestinian song on its website.
\nCustomers have been challenging staff in the Lush store in Brent Cross, about the company’s support for Oneworld’s single “Freedom for Palestine”. The head office has received 223 emails to date on the issue.
\nOn the Lush website, under “Our Ethical Campaigns” it says: “The catastrophe facing the Palestinian people is one of the defining global justice issues of our time.”
\nHilary Jones, the company’s ethics director, admitted that Lush had been approached by the charity War on Want about putting the single online, but said it had not donated to the cause.
\nShe said: “It was an easy decision. We trade with the region and forge links on both sides of the community. We buy olive oil from a Jewish-Arab project.
\n“But we don’t feel it’s a safe environment to have a store. Would we want a shop where we couldn’t have a mix? We have a multicultural attitude to everything we do; we want everyone in the country where we are trading to be on an equal footing as far as basic human rights go. Some of the team would have to come through checkpoints and be treated differently on their way to work \u2013 that would be our worry.”
\nSimon Emmerson, a Jewish musician who produces the soundtracks for Lush stores, said: “We are taking sides, definitely. The money isn’t going to support Hamas, it’s an issue of human rights. We’ve had long and very heated discussions about this. If people feel let down, we have to argue our corner. Other companies see these ethical campaigns as a PR exercise.”
\nThe Zionist Federation said it urged supporters of Israel to write to the store, and StandWithUs UK said it was “deeply disturbed” and was encouraging a boycott of Lush products and a letter-writing campaign. The ZF’s director of public affairs, Stefan Kerner, said: “Refusing to open a store in Israel, whilst having stores in Saudi Arabia, just proves how blatantly biased the company are – and how they are more concerned with bashing Israel than staying true to their own ethical standards.”
\nThe English Defence League’s Jewish Division advertised a protest outside the store last Sunday on its Facebook page, but staff said no organised group had appeared.
\nA member of staff at the Brent Cross store, which has been open for three weeks, said: “We have been worried about some demonstrations, but we support people’s right to demonstrate and we would not ask Brent Cross to move people on if they came to protest. We have had a lot of people come into the shop and talk to us about it: some have been angry.”
\nEnglish teacher Judi Granit said she would no longer buy from the company, despite often having products shipped to her home in Haifa. She said: “I am absolutely broken-hearted. I have relished and supported the wonderful products for years. I am 100 per cent for supporting human rights around the globe and ending suffering, however, I do not condone untruths and lies, even if the intentions are good.
\n“I invite them to visit Israel and see that there is no apartheid here and no religious segregation. Yet the song ‘Freedom for Palestine'” says the opposite.”<\/p>\n

Reut Institute: Israeli Boycott law may backfire<\/a>: The Electronic Intifada<\/h3>\n

Adri Nieuwhof on Tue, 08\/09\/2011
\nIn response to the growing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the Israeli parliament passed an anti-boycott law on 11 July. The law is heavily criticized; for example, Amnesty International denounced the anti-boycott law because it \u201cwill have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, Ahmad Tibi, criticized the law as \u201ca strike against free speech.\u201d in an article. He pledged his support to the BDS movement:<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I believe in ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, equal rights for Palestinians and Jews, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees forced from their homes and lands in 1948, I support boycotting \u2014 and calling on others to boycott \u2014 all Israeli companies that help perpetuate these injustices.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few days later, a remarkable warning was published by the Reut Institute, which characterizes itself as \u201ca non-partisan Zionist organization\u201d in a promotional video. Reut mentions in the video its support for strategic decision making processes of the State of Israel which includes advising the Prime Minister\u2019s office, the Ministry of Defense, the Israeli army and the National Security Council..<\/p>\n

Reut\u2019s CEO, Roy Keidar and head of Reut\u2019s National Security Team, Eran Shayson, warned on 2 August, that \u201cthe greater damage of the boycott law is the controversy forming around it.\u201d They write:<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, the urgent sense that action must be taken against the de-legitimization phenomenon is both understandable and justified. However, assumptions that the boycott law and other similar laws provide the answer to this challenge, are wrong and may well backfire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fighting \u2018delegitmization\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

In February 2010, Reut qualified the actions of the BDS movement as delegitimization of Israel in a report on the urgency to respond to the growing international criticism of Israel\u2019s violations of international law and disrespect of the rights of the Palestinian people. Reut referred in the report to critical voices as \u201cdelegitimizers\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe effectiveness of Israel\u2019s delegitimizers, who represent a relatively marginal political and societal force in Europe and North America, stems from their ability to engage and mobilize others by blurring the lines with Israel\u2019s critics. They do so by branding Israel as a pariah and \u2018apartheid\u2019 state; rallying coalitions around \u2018outstanding issues\u2019 such as the \u2018Gaza blockade\u2019; making pro-Palestinian activity trendy; and promoting grassroots activities such as boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) as a way to \u2018correct Israel\u2019s ways.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, Reut wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Delegitimization Network aims to supersede the Zionist model with a state that is based on the \u2018one person, one vote\u2019 principle by turning Israel into a pariah state and by challenging the moral legitimacy of its authorities and existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparison with South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I interviewed Professor John Dugard, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in October 2010, I asked him to react to accusations that the BDS movement delegitimizes Israel. He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe BDS actions are delegitimizing Israel. There is no question about that. Obviously Israel is unwilling to accept that, similar to apartheid South Africa, which did want to suppress international sanctions. BDS was at that time effective, largely as a result of international advocacy for [boycott, divestment and] sanctions. It delegitimized the state and ultimately led to change in South Africa.<\/p>\n

The comparison between Israel and South Africa is important. The situation is very similar at present. The international community is increasingly critical of Israel, advocating for international [boycott, divestment and] sanctions. It is not surprising that Israel is taking steps to prevent them in the same way the South African government did.\u201d<\/p>\n

In February 2010, Reut\u2019s policy advice to Israel was to effectively face the \u201cDelegitimization Network\u201d by embracing a network-based logic and response by \u201cFocusing on the hubs of delegitimization – such as London, Paris, Toronto, Madrid, and the Bay Area – and on undermining its catalysts.\u201d Reut called on the Israeli government to direct substantial resources towards this end.<\/p>\n

Attacking the messenger<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reut\u2019s advice to \u201cundermine the catalysts\u201d of the BDS movement is a perfect example of attacking the messenger. A few months after Reut\u2019s advice, The Electronic Intifada and its Dutch donor were fiercely attacked by the NGO Monitor. Ali Abunimah analyzed the reasons behind the attack in his article \u201cWhy NGO Monitor is attacking The Electronic Intifada\u201d.<\/p>\n

He wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cNGO Monitor\u2019s attack on The Electronic Intifada is part of a well-financed, Israeli-government endorsed effort to silence reporting about and criticism of Israel by attacking so-called \u201cdelegitimizers\u201d \u2014 those who speak about well-documented human rights abuses, support boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS), or promote full equality for Palestinians. Last February, The Electronic Intifada reported that a leading Israeli think-tank had recommended a campaign of \u201csabotage\u201d against Israel\u2019s critics as a matter of state policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its criticism of the boycott law, Reut writes that the law applies to Israel while the \u201cdelegitimization campaign is global, primarily operating beyond Israel\u2019s borders.\u201d Therefore the law cannot stop the global BDS movement. In addition, Reut identifies the controversy forming around the boycott law as a danger, creating divisions in \u201cthe Israeli camp\u201d at a time where unity is needed.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the Israeli boycott law is an attack on freedom of expression, and as such another example of Israel\u2019s disrespect for basic human rights. It would have been very disturbing if this law was docilely accepted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EDITOR: War Zone in London While other countries’ populations are involved in poliutical protest against tyrants and anti-social leaders bringing about wide devastation, the youth of Britain seems to be involved in something rather differnt… Living in Haringay, and working in East London, I have to contend with the new realities, like most of us … Continue reading August 9, 2011<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8038"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8038"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8047,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8038\/revisions\/8047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}