A little girl in Gaza covers her doll’s eyes that it should not witness what she is seeing – her compassion and humanity shining through despite all she has been through. Those inflicting such horror on children are on the wrong side of history, and all of us should take a stand against their hideous crimes, or be judged complicit.
History will judge us all
History will surely judge the Israeli Zionist state as among the most evil of the present era.
It will also judge those who sought to support or appease this terrorist regime as complicit in its crimes against humanity.
The governments of the UK and USA, who are declared friends of Israel and who support it in many ways, are in it up to their necks.
South African parallel
I lived in apartheid South Africa from December 1979 to June 1987. I know about the justification of violence and the dehumanisation and demonisation of “the other”. I know about the siege mentality, brainwashing and the imperviousness of the brainwashed to reason. It was ultimately the cold hard logic of sanctions, including a cultural and sport boycott, that broke apartheid.
The Israeli mindset is arguably worse – even less amenable to persuasion. The only thing that will work is force – peaceful force in the form of boycott, divestment and sanctions – which will make it impossible for the Israeli murder, theft and propaganda machine to continue.
Bravo, Latin America!
The people and governments of Latin America are showing the way.
The people and governments of Latin America have shown the way. They have been shaking off the stranglehold of US neoliberal imperialism and they are calling Israel out for what is. They are increasingly supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions.
Joyce Macmillan thinks that an Israeli state-sponsored show should go ahead. I say fine, if it condemns Israel and crowd-sources funds.
Joyce Macmillan
Joyce Macmillan, of course I support freedom of expression, but all those who are sponsored by (or support) the State of Israel are complicit in its crimes.
If an Israeli state-sponsored theatre company wants to put on a show in Edinburgh it should repudiate the Israeli state’s actions, return the funds, and crowd-source alternative funding, as suggested by Neill Walker on Facebook. I would then happily support it. If it does not do this then it is clearly nothing more than paid PR agent for Israel, helping it present itself as a civilised nation rather than the apartheid terrorist entity it is, actively engaged in ethnic cleansing.
Please, Scottish Government…
Please, Scottish Government, understand how history will view you if you effectively side with genocide. Examine your consciences and take a stand. Individual ministers and MSPs, if the government or your party, respectively, won’t condemn Israel and support boycott, divestment and sanctions, I think you should consider resigning. For the sake of humanity.
Humza, please take a lead on this.
Humza, I know you a bit. You are intelligent, thoughtful, caring and principled. Please do what you must know is the right thing and take a principled stand on this. Who is pressuring you? What are they threatening you with? What is most important right now?
Please sign this open letter to Humza Yousaf
Readers, please consider signing this open letter to Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government Minister for External Affairs and International Development, calling for the Scottish Government to unambiguously condemn Israel’s ethnic cleansing and support boycott, divestment and sanctions against the State of Israel to compel it to recognise Palestinian human rights under international law.
Let Scotland and its people be judged well when history looks back on us.
We don’t have to wait until after 18 September to make the world a better place.
Click on the image to read this article in the Independent. ‘…Let us boycott Israeli academic institutions, Israeli exports and the companies that have ties with Israel. Because even when Israel stops bombing Gaza, it will not be their final attempt to ethnically cleanse the land of Palestinians.’
