Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumFor the First Time, PA Arrests BDS Activists in Ramallah
In an unprecedented first, the Palestinian Authority recently arrested four anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) activists in Ramallah.
The four, Zeid Shuaibi, Abdel Jawad Hamayel, Fadi Quran, and Fajr Harb, were arrested on charges of “provoking riots and the breach of public tranquility.” They had demonstrated against an Indian dance group performing in Ramallah that performed in Tel Aviv as well. The protesters accused the Indian dancers of violating the campaign for boycotting Israel, claiming that their appearance in Tel Aviv was a form of “normalization” with Israel. The incident seriously embarrassed the Palestinian Authority leadership and resulted in a decision to prosecute the four BDS activists....
...Omar Barghouti, one of the leaders of the BDS movement, said that the PA should be put on trial for bringing the four men to court. “If the four men are brought before a court, then we should prosecute the Palestinian Authority for serving the Israeli occupation’s project,” he said. “The decision to prosecute the four men was taken in collusion with the fierce Israeli campaign against the BDS.”
...The Palestinian Authority is also worried that BDS is harming the Palestinians’ relations with other countries. The disturbance of the Indian dance troupe’s performance is one such example. Toameh believes that the PA move against the BDS activists shows that it considers the movement a threat to Palestinian interests. Gilad Zwick, an analyst at MIDA, said that the Palestinians are well aware of the extent of the damage that BDS can cause them financially if the boycotters’ ambitions are fully realized. There are 14 Israeli industrial and agricultural parks in Judea and Samaria, including 788 factories and businesses, employing some 11,000 Palestinian workers, alongside 6,000 Israeli workers. Furthermore, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, workers in industrial zones in Judea and Samaria are paid twice to three times the average Palestinian salary and also receive full social benefits as prescribed by Israeli law. In addition, Palestinian businessmen prefer the Israeli economy’s stability and comparative freedom over the corrupt PA’s economy.
more...
http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/06/18/for-the-first-time-pa-arrests-bds-activists-in-ramallah/
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Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)
shira
(30,109 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)state for his people.
He should be focusing on the ICC.
shira
(30,109 posts)...Palestinians and put them in the same dire straits as Gazans. Of course, BDS isn't about helping Palestinians as much as it is making Israel into a monster that needs to be destroyed.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Israel has already done a bang up job of isolating themselves...no help needed by BDS.
shira
(30,109 posts)He'd also destroy what little economy there is in the West Bank.
Not to mention that embracing BDS cancels Oslo and all the arrangements they have in place with Israel. They'd quickly turn into East Gaza.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)This concept difficult for you because you don't like what BDS stands for?
Abbas has his own agenda...he is not worried about the economy.
shira
(30,109 posts)It's another thing entirely to expect the PA to embrace BDS.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Israeli policy toward the Palestinians is nothing to brag about.
He has no right to squelch dissent as he has.
shira
(30,109 posts)There is no comparison b/w Israel and the PA.
That said, I think the PA and Gaza should 1st and foremost allow for free speech, assembly, and dissent. That would go a long way to ending the conflict.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)versus how they treat the Palestinians. Check out their human rights abuses, they
have deep trouble justifying their policies..because they are indefensible.
Free speech for all..that is crucial.
