Main Zionism Boycotts Page  European comment: boycotts and Nazis  The Anti Israel Academic Boycott  Divestment Initiatives

Introduction by Zionism and Israel Information Center

This is ADL's case against divestment. What ADL fails to say in so many words is that divestment is aimed at destroying Israel and denying self-determination to the Jewish people. However, the facts should be obvious from what they write:

They argue that just as the anti-apartheid campaign helped to bring down not only the South African regime but also the ideology and political morals that governed it, divestment from Israel will further the struggle against what they call an inherently racist system that needs to be abolished.

The "racist system" that needs to be "abolished" according to divestment advocates is not the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, but the Jewish state of Israel, which should become a "secular democratic state" by allowing the "return" of over four million Arab Palestinian refugees. That would create an Arab Palestinian majority in Israel, and turn it into yet another Arab country in the Middle East.

From http://www.adl.org/main_Israel/Divestment_02_17_05.htm?Multi_page_sections=sHeading_1

The Anti-Israel Divestment Campaign (ADL)  

Introduction
 

Since the outbreak of Palestinian violence in September 2000, organized campaigns have promoted the "divestment" of university, municipal, and church investment portfolios from Israeli companies and from companies that do business with Israel, as a punitive measure against Israel for its policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  

The divestment campaign aims to emulate the 1980s campaigns against South African apartheid. Its advocates claim that the political situation in Israel, Gaza Strip and the West Bank is comparable to that which existed in South Africa. They argue that just as the anti-apartheid campaign helped to bring down not only the South African regime but also the ideology and political morals that governed it, divestment from Israel will further the struggle against what they call an inherently racist system that needs to be abolished.

Yet, despite the best efforts of activists, the divestment campaign in the U.S. has been largely unsuccessful. To date, it has failed to bring its primary targeted institutions— academic institutions, city councils and mainline protestant churches— to divest from Israel or from U.S. companies doing business with Israel.  

• There is no comparison between Israeli policy and Apartheid South Africa:  While the anti-Israel activists point to the divestment campaign against South African apartheid as an example of how such a campaign can achieve dramatic results, most recognize that the Israeli-Palestinian situation is distinctly different.   First and foremost, pro-Palestinian advocates of divestment cannot offer the same moral clarity as the 80's anti-apartheid campaigners did.  The treatment of Arabs by the State of Israel can in no way be compared to the treatment of the Blacks of South Africa under apartheid. There is no Israeli ideology, policy or plan to segregate, persecute or mistreat its Israeli Arab citizens, nor Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The South African divestment campaign targeted companies who were exploiting black labor.  In contrast, Israeli and Palestinian workers have both suffered enormously from the economic downturn brought about by the four years of violence and conflict.  Moreover, while South African apartheid had no popular support here in America, according to public opinion polls Israel enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of Americans and of the U.S. political leadership. Even those who are not outright supporters of Israel refuse to subscribe to the anti-Israel activists' black-and-white portrayal of the conflict or to automatically support the Palestinian cause and tactics as the boycott supporters do.

• Divestment advocates ignore Israel's peace efforts:  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace process is complex. With their rigidly one-sided view of the conflict, divestment advocates see a solution only through punitive action against Israel.  The harsh rhetoric of proponents blindly ignores Israeli policies and efforts to promote negotiations and improve the situation on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Instead, divestment campaigns singularly demonize Israel and designate Israel for pariah status.  Such initiatives do not to seek creative and constructive efforts to promote dialogue, peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

• Israel is being unfairly singled out for human rights violations: These campaigns single out Israel and condemn its record on human rights without any reference to the myriad of human rights outrages going on in the world today.  In fact, Israel remains the lone democracy in the Middle East, with all of the institutions – a free press, a multitude of political parties, an independent judiciary and religious freedom — that are at the heart of true liberal democracies. The Middle East and indeed the world has many, many states that do not come close to living up to Israel's standards.  Thus, the singling out of Israel for such punitive treatment is disingenuous and disproportionate.

 Continued - http://www.adl.org/main_Israel/Divestment_02_17_05.htm?Multi_page_sections=sHeading_2

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