Uri Avneri on Boycotting
Israel
(September 5, 2009)
“The view of Israel as a monolithic
entity composed of racists and brutal oppressors
is a caricature. Israel is a complex society,
struggling with itself. The forces of good
and evil, and many in between, are locked
in a daily battle on many different fronts.
The settlers and their supporters are strong,
perhaps getting stronger (though I doubt
it), but are far – even in their own
view - from a decisive victory....
I ALSO have no argument with those who want
to abolish the State of Israel. It is as
much their right to aspire to that as it
is my right to want to dismantle, let’s
say, the USA or France, neither of which
has an unblemished past.
Reading some of the messages sent to me
and trying to analyze their contents, I get
the feeling they are not so much about a
boycott on Israel as about the very existence
of Israel. Some of the writers obviously
believe that the creation of the State of
Israel was a terrible mistake to start with,
and therefore should be reversed. Turn the
wheel of history back some 62 years and start
anew.
What really disturbs me about this is that
almost nobody in the West comes out and says
clearly: Israel must be abolished. Some of
the proposals, like those for a “One
State” solution, sound like euphemisms.
If one believes that the State of Israel
should be abolished and replaced by a State
of Palestine or a State of Happiness – why
not say so openly?
Of course, that does not mean peace. Peace
between Israel and Palestine presupposes
that Israel is there. Peace between the Israeli
people and the Palestinian people presupposes
that both peoples have a right to self-determination
and agree to the peace. Does anyone really
believe that racist monsters like us would
agree to give up our state because of a boycott?”
Sources: “The Boycott Revisited,” Gush
Shalom |