After a group of British academics decided to boycott Israel in 2005 (though later overturned), the inevitable second stage is upon us:
"A group including some of Britain's most prominent architects is considering calling for an economic boycott of Israel's construction industry in protest at the building of Israeli settlements and the separation barrier in the Occupied Territories.
"The group said that architects, planners and engineers working on Israeli projects in the occupied territories were 'complicit in social, political and economic oppression', and 'in violation of their professional code of ethics'.
"It said that: 'Planning, architecture and other construction disciplines are being used to promote an apartheid system of environmental control.'"
While the chairman of the Israel Architects' Association may claim that the boycott is inappropriate because "the Government of Israel, which evacuated the Gaza Strip, is currently showing goodwill and trying to reach an agreement", the co-ordinator of the proposed boycott argues that, "since nothing seems to deter Israel, and western governments remain silent, civil society has to pressure Israel and those creating the physical reality of these injustices that are the cause of such instability in the Middle East."
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
"A group including some of Britain's most prominent architects is considering calling for an economic boycott of Israel's construction industry in protest at the building of Israeli settlements and the separation barrier in the Occupied Territories.
"The group said that architects, planners and engineers working on Israeli projects in the occupied territories were 'complicit in social, political and economic oppression', and 'in violation of their professional code of ethics'.
"It said that: 'Planning, architecture and other construction disciplines are being used to promote an apartheid system of environmental control.'"
While the chairman of the Israel Architects' Association may claim that the boycott is inappropriate because "the Government of Israel, which evacuated the Gaza Strip, is currently showing goodwill and trying to reach an agreement", the co-ordinator of the proposed boycott argues that, "since nothing seems to deter Israel, and western governments remain silent, civil society has to pressure Israel and those creating the physical reality of these injustices that are the cause of such instability in the Middle East."
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
3 Comments:
Impressively relentless focus on the talking points shab, gold star for you.
At some stage, the massive upswelling of affront about Israel that characterises most informed opinion in most Western countries must pierce the barrier of silence imposed by our elites. This affront, which has moved so many disparate profesional groups to protest with boycotts like these, has been effectively marginalised and obscured by a media either on-side with the Likudniks or scared shitless of their revenge. It can't last forever.
Interestingly, the sort of folk-Marxism that has dominated the left over the past couple of decades really only sees "oppression" when it is committed by white Westerners (c.f. South Africa boycotts of the 1980s), which suggests a real racism underlying the entire class v. class outlook of their thinking. (Note, for example, that Islamic oppression of, well, everyone, is always condemned sidelong because they represent the "other").
Hello! Where have you been for the last thirty-five years! Of course there has been selective enforcement of "human rights" on white/western nations.
The question is why have some suddenly become concerned with this selective enforcement, when Israel became the target?
Glenn, you are so far up your own fundamental orifice, it's laughable.
"the massive upswelling of affront about Israel that characterises most informed opinion in most Western countries"
What you "characterise" as "most informed opinion" boggles the mind. Informed opinion stretches beyond the university campus, you do realise?
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