BDS Movement Isn’t Anti-Semitic

Letter to the editor 7:13 p.m. EST, December 24, 2013 

I would like to suggest that columnist Kevin Rennie do a little study before he dismisses the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as anti-Semitic [Dec. 22, Opinion, “Unrest, Violence Mar Peaceful Season”]. 

This is hard to do, with the U.S. press publishing so little about Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians. So he probably is not aware of the constant addition of illegal settlements on the West Bank (settlements with populations sometimes of more than 100,000). He is probably also not aware of the constant harassment of Palestinians as they try to continue to make a living while going through endless checkpoints.

If he were aware of this and so much more (what can one say in a short letter about what is being done in Gaza, for example) he could not write so blithely about BDS being simply a manifestation of anti-Semitism.

For starters, I would suggest “The General’s Son” by Miko Peled. He is an Israeli, and thus unlike most Americans does not rely on the skewed reporting of the American mainstream media. He was able to actually investigate and think about the situation that has come about through Israel’s 40-year occupation.

He should then read Josh Ruebner’s “Shattered Hopes: The Failure of Obama’s Middle East Peace Process.” This book not only makes clear why BDS is a necessary strategy, but it also criticizes a Democrat(!)

Nina Sakun, Hartford