I’ve been disturbed by recent letters repeating the false and dangerous claim that BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) is anti-Semitic — and that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic.
It is all too easy to stifle criticism by smearing it as anti-Semitic. No decent person wants to be labeled an anti- Semite. But, tragically, this smear gives cover to the real anti-Semites by conflating hateful prejudice with le- gitimate, peacefully expressed concerns about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Israel is impervious to international law, under which it is illegal to colonize occupied territory. It is impervi- ous to moral condemnation for its brutality. When Palestinians fight back, they are crushed by Israel’s mas- sive firepower — lavishly funded by your tax dollars and mine. But when they call for peaceful protest in the form of BDS, Palestinians and their supporters are reviled and suppressed as being anti-Semitic.
Boycotting is a time-honored and effective form of protest. As the National Coalition Against Censorship says, “Boycotts are a form of speech that is protected by the First Amendment.” Pro-Israel lobbying groups don’t care about the First Amendment, instead pressuring state and federal legislators to pass bills penalizing or even outlawing BDS.
Like many who advocate BDS, I myself have a Jewish background. I am fully aware of the horrors of anti- Semitism and I understand the deep fear that the Holocaust could happen again — a fear that is cynically ex- ploited by the Israeli government’s rhetoric. But it is both cruel and irrational to project that fear onto the Palestinians — who had nothing to do with the Holocaust — and use it to fuel appalling injustice.
BDS calls on people of conscience to take a non-violent stand against entrenched oppression. I will continue to support it.
Jo Salas