Why boycott culture? Outcome of the debate.

You can now download an audio recording of the Why boycott culture? debate at the South Bank Centre.

The Israel eliminationists won.

Jonathan Freedland, who is for dialogue without preconditions, talked about entrenchment of conflict in his summing up (beginning 1 hour 38 min 45 sec) – “the people who pay the price won’t be you … the price will be paid by Palestinians on the sharp end of occupation”. He ended:

“Here’s the very last point – tonight has been hugely revealing to me, because I thought my disagreement with the boycott movement was because I want to see the end of occupation, you want to see the end of occupation and it’s an argument about tactics.

“What has come through loud and clear tonight is your motivation – there’s nothing wrong with this but it’s clarifying – is not actually just the end of occupation but it is with Israel itself you have a fundamental problem with, you [shouts of disagreements from the audience] … Omar Barghouti made it clear.”

Hat tip: Alan A, Harry’s Place.

The Zionist far-right and the anti-Zionists – trying to bring Israel down

An unholy alliance of the Zionist far-right and the anti-Zionist far-left is trying to bring Israel down. Like previous unholy alliances, the two partners despise one another, but realize that they are locked in a symbiotic relationship: without one another they will die. The far-right needs the hysteria of the far-left as a pretext for the legislation that fulfills the far-left’s fantasies.

…The only place we will be able to transform this unfortunate dynamic is at the ballot-box. The Israeli left remains down but not out; amidst the disappointment of the anti-boycott bill we must start plotting the resurrection.

Read the whole piece on False Dichotomies or Harry’s Place.