757
Member
In my opinion this is a blinkered statement; a one sided view that ignores any wrongdoing by the Israelis. How the Israel government is treating the Palestinians is unethical and illegal. I assume you know this and I’m just stating the obvious. Or maybe you deny this, in which case, there’s no arguing with you. I respect that you would have your reasons and that you come from a place of great experience, but I’ll continue to disagree nonetheless.
If the Israelis were offering to build a desalination plant for free, and to a schedule that would make a difference, then I could see an argument for the lack of pragmatism. But really, the South African leadership involved just sound hopelessly unprepared, so it matters not who offers to sell them the technology they need. They probably would have ended in the same place. There’s nothing to be gained in adding hypocrisy to weaken their BDS position. I feel the argument of Israeli tech is a pro-Israeli narrative that is unhelpful and the wrong focal point.
As for grandstanding, I do think it is grand that they are standing up for the Palestinians. I admire their unwavering support. And as a mediator who could have made more of a difference, the US have proven to be ineffective. So I hope more support the movement or show their support in other ways. I seriously doubt Israel will come to an end because they’re forced to negotiate reasonable and humane terms.
Ignoring the Palestinian-Israeli problems, the Cape Town water crisis should be focused on learning the lessons on what happens when water security is not prioritised.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to respond.
- Mod Edit -
Please read post #2 from Mara below. He started this thread and lays out the ground rules. I moved @757 's post from the other discussion to this thread because his observations are very solid and should be part of any conversation on the topic.
- Rah -
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I don’t typically say anything in these forums, preferring to observe and learn what I can. However, having been to Israel five times in my life and considering my current profession deals almost exclusively with international law (law clerk), I must object to your statement concerning Israel doing anything “illegal.” Eugene Kontorovich is a professor at Northwestern who deals extensively about this issue from a legal standpoint. The link below is a brief lecture regarding the subject.
That being said, seeing human beings suffer should never be easy and I hope the first part of my comment didn't suggest that I was callous toward their plight. I’ve traveled to the West Bank and talked with Palestinians, people who have hopes and dreams just like us. My dad remembers being able to walk through Gaza years before the Israeli’s forcibly removed their own citizens in an effort to create two states for two people. Sadly, the Palestinians democratically elected Hamas and have suffered extensively as a result.
Full disclosure: I am pro two-state solution.
Just my .02
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