More than 50 Israeli reservists refuse to fight

[dr_lucas]

 

 

 

And when I asked you if you were being paid to spread this junk...

That would beg the question of how much Hamas is paying you. 

 

 

There are 1.6 Billion Muslims in the world, 23% of the world's population. Many who live in Muslim countries that call for the annihilation of Israel.

There are only 13.75 Million Jews in the world. A very tiny minority.

Do you think Hamas needs to pay anyone to do its propaganda when this is the ratio?

 

The only special money I've made from being a Jew was this stuff I used to get from Grandpa at Chanukah! OK, and the dollar for finding the matzoh. 

 

Chanukah-Gelt.jpg

 

 

(It's candy.)

 

 

Dollar? Stingy family you got, bro... 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Dollar? Stingy family you got, bro... 

 

 

 

 

Both of my Grandpas were dirt poor. Another Jewish stereotype busted!

(Also, long ago.)

Edited July 31, 2014 by Jingthing

[Fellini]

 

Yeah sure, your friend the "Nazi" supports Israel. Very convincing. Sure. 

 

It was a weak argument, but I certainly wasn't lying.

 

The only special money I've made from being a Jew was this stuff I used to get from Grandpa at Chanukah! OK, and the dollar for finding the matzoh. 

 

Oh cool. Lol. xD

Edited July 31, 2014 by Fellini

[arjunadawn]

 

 

I'm using iPad and hv trouble scrolling to review while posting to explain. Anyone who reads my posts know I'd concede I'm a dumbass if I see it. I don't see it. My sentence about enemies was reasonably predicated on the proceeding sentences about traveled areas that all have one thing in common- a shared faith. I suspect there's other players that might despise Israel- for non religious reasons; I'm referring to the places in my experience.

It would be easy, if taken just from this one forum, to describe me as someone who sees antisemites everywhere. But this isn't true. I remain deeply divided. Among these many places I've visited, where nearly everyone seemed to hate Jews, there was a disconnect. They were all kind and hospitable to me. I know many Palestinians, Jordanian Palestinians, and others in Lebanon. I know no one in Israel! Curious, huh?

Only when I look toward the past do I see where he or they went wrong. When I look to the now I see a people trying to entice a regional war, run the clock out on public opinion, and move across the chess board through UN and international institution building legitimacy. They believe they are at war. Fair enough. But to assert they want peace is a lie. A delusion. There will never be peace as long as Israel exists! Period! Were all Palestinians to agree to peace tomorrow jihad would be launched against them by their own the next day.
It's as untrue they want peace as it is untrue there was a Palestinian state before 1948. It's just not true.

I recall an inspector asked a contractor "what is this?" at an airport in UAE (it was an emergency bandage/dressing called an...) "Israeli dressing," he replied. He was immediately rounded up, put in the next plane flying, which wasn't even going toward the west, and ejected from the state. They did forward his luggage. This is one of many examples. Peace in the Levant will never happen as long as Jews live. If Israel were destroyed tomorrow the new diaspora would be hunted and killed throughout all those countries I've mentioned.

 

 

From all your travels, do you believe one can be a critic of Israeli policy without being a Jew-hater or anti-semite? 

 

 

Yes, there are many things Israel has done which range from the repugnant to unproductive, such as the incremental encroachment on settlements during the very negotiations designed to resolve that issue. Linkage, ante upping, ad naseum. Yes, there is equal rocks to be cast all around. From a purely ideological viewpoint, I don't see where they have anywhere near an equal playing field for negotiations. I would be the equal of that which I protest was I to say Israel is without error in this debacle.

 

[Morch]

 

@CBR250. Both the men you mentioned in the above post are quoted in a book I'm currently reading. It's a bit out of date, but quotes interviews with a number of other influencial Arabs who are 'men of peace'. Also quite damning of many Arab leaders. 

 

Book is "Mullahs, Merchants and Militants"

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Simple1, your book is probably accurate. There are probably a lot more Arab Leaders who are resistant to calls for peace than those who share the values of Mustafa Barguti or Edward Said. And the same resistance to peace is apparent amongst  Israelis, where reports today suggest over 90% of the population supports the military action in Gaza, despite the death of over 1,000 civilians - primarily women and children. Thank Buddha that there are some men who speak out on both sides.
 

 

 

Not nearly the same.  Political representation of Israeli pro-peace/progressive/liberal forces, while not dominant, is way higher  than that of their counterparts in Arab and Muslim countries. That includes the Palestinians as well.
 

[Morch]

 

 

 

No, it obviously rests with the Israelis, who should've had the sense and humanity to fold up their tents and shutdown the State of Israel, and just "go away", years ago.  The bizarre fact that they seem to insist on their sovereignty, let alone safety within their own borders, is just beyond comprehension.  And this very strange idea that terrorist organizations in neighboring areas, openly committed to their destruction and supported & supplied by countries who openly state the same thing, shouldn't be allowed to launch missiles into their country at will...  And THEN this inability to understand that the use of human shields to defend those launch sites is "genocide" and THEIR responsibility, and therefore the SAME THING as the murder of 6 million of themselves...  Just too weird.  When will these unreasonable and barbaric Israelis start to get it?

 

 

And yet another one reading the Netanyahu handouts. No, I did not say any of the things you attribute to me. Yes, your arguments are irrational. And this sounds sooooo much like a kindergarten morality  "He started it, so we should kill him - and everyone should then cheer"!

 

You are in dispute with Chris Gunness, the UNWRA spokesman, who says that Israel's actions are "an abomination". Maybe it is time that Israel withdrew from the UN - the UN is obviously embarrassed by Israel being a member, and a number of the more fervent pro-Israelis on TV have accused the UN of bias. The easy solution is - get Israel to leave the UN. They don't belong there anyway, if statements such as yours are representative of Israel. This indicates that they are not interested in peaceful coexistence with anybody.

 

And just to reject one of your more outrageous attempts at propaganda - It would be absolutely fine by me if Israel had peace within its borders - in fact, I have always argued for this! The problem I have - and most Palestinians and now the rest of the world has - is that these borders keep expanding in line with the Zionist agenda at the cost of human lives.

 

 

 

The same Chris Gunness, on another occasion:

 

 

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness condemned those responsible for placing civilians in harm's way by storing the rockets at the school but he did not specifically blame any particular party.

 

"We condemn the group or groups who endangered civilians by placing these munitions in our school. This is yet another flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises. We call on all the warring parties to respect the inviolability of U.N. property," Gunness said in a statement.

http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFL6N0Q45TO20140729

 

Expressing criticism of the UN is not allowed? Acknowledging that some of the ways the UN operates are biased is not cool? I notice that almost every details example as per how this bias is evident (especially relevant to the UNHRC), thecounter claim does not deal with the facts and figures but with bring up some bogus argument to explain it away or just deflect the issue. When this if-you-don't-like-it-leave answer and set of mind are expressed on Thai related topics, mostpeople treat it as a feeble response.

 

Keep on repeating that Israel borders are expanding - Sinai peninsula, Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon - all handed back. Similar claims were not readily made when Jordan and Egypt took over Palestinian lands, when Syrian forces were in Lebanon, or whenever any of Israel's neighbors had its own violent clashes related to the Palestinians.

 

 

 

[Morch]

 

Oh, and it's a bit beyond the kindergarten level, but why not have a read of what the Hamas Charter (also referred to as the "Covenant of the Hamas") has to say about coexistence with Israel and the Jews...  (It's all very interesting, but be sure and see what it has to say about "negotiated settlements";  Art 13.)

 

Just can't understand why Israel should have any problem coexisting with THAT!!  Those darn Jews!

 

 

 

 

 

The old "Hamas Charter" fallback? 

 

 

From Wiki

Current status of the Charter

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal indicated to Robert Pastor, senior adviser to the Carter Center, that the Charter is "a piece of history and no longer relevant, but cannot be changed for internal reasons".[84] Hamas do not use the Charter on their website and prefer to use their election manifesto to put forth their agenda.[85][86] Pastor states that those who quote the charter rather than more recent Hamas statements may be using the Charter as an excuse to ignore Hamas.[84]

British diplomat and former British ambassador to the United Nations Sir Jeremy Greenstock stated in early 2009 that the Hamas charter was "drawn up by a Hamas-linked imam some [twenty] years ago and has never been adopted since Hamas was elected as the Palestinian government in 2006".[87] Mohammed Nimer of American University comments on the Charter, "It's a tract meant to mobilize support and it should be amended.... It projects anger, not vision."[88] Ahmed Yousef, an adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, has questioned the use of the charter by Israel and its supporters to brand Hamas as a fundamentalist, terrorist, racist, anti-Semitic organization and claims that they have taken parts of the charter out of context for propaganda purposes. 

 

 

Are you aware of Hamas leadership expressing radically different opinions as to those manifested in the charter?

 

[kblaze]

 

 

 

As for the NK and SK analogy. If NK will use their people as human shields, as Hamas does, and hide their nukes, soldiers and bombs under civilian blocks etc., which I am pretty sure they will have no problem doing considering the value of their citizen's human-life there, I'd actually expect more like 99% civilian casualties and I won't blame SK for it.

 

 

 

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

You say on one hand that Gazans are being forced to be human shields. Thus, be default they are innocent.

 

Then you imply that they aren't because they elected Hamas.

 

So which is it?

 

 

Lots of Gazans are volunteering to be human shields. Others are agreeing to under pressure and they DID elect Hamas. Exactly what did they think would happen when they elected a terrorist group that refuses to recognize Israel and is committed to using violence to "drive the Jews into the sea?" 

 

 

 

 Sickening really. You talk like you have a special line on what is really going on in Gaza. You assume and assume and assume based on your pre-conceived notion that all Gazans are potential terrorists  (shall I pull the quote again?). Keeping that belief in your head makes it soo easy to just write off any civilian casualties as just "eh, they voted for em, they deserve it". Sad and ignorant. But alas, the world is a sad place. 

 

 Your line of thinking that "they elected them, they deserve it" is EXACTLY the reasoning that Osama Bin Laden used when justifying the attacks on civilians.

[kblaze]

 

 

From all your travels, do you believe one can be a critic of Israeli policy without being a Jew-hater or anti-semite? 

 

 

Yes, there are many things Israel has done which range from the repugnant to unproductive, such as the incremental encroachment on settlements during the very negotiations designed to resolve that issue. Linkage, ante upping, ad naseum. Yes, there is equal rocks to be cast all around. From a purely ideological viewpoint, I don't see where they have anywhere near an equal playing field for negotiations. I would be the equal of that which I protest was I to say Israel is without error in this debacle.

 

 

 

 Thank you for being reasonable 

[Ulysses G.]

 

 

 

As for the NK and SK analogy. If NK will use their people as human shields, as Hamas does, and hide their nukes, soldiers and bombs under civilian blocks etc., which I am pretty sure they will have no problem doing considering the value of their citizen's human-life there, I'd actually expect more like 99% civilian casualties and I won't blame SK for it.

 
 
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
 
You say on one hand that Gazans are being forced to be human shields. Thus, be default they are innocent.
 
Then you imply that they aren't because they elected Hamas.
 
So which is it?

 

 
Lots of Gazans are volunteering to be human shields. Others are agreeing to under pressure and they DID elect Hamas. Exactly what did they think would happen when they elected a terrorist group that refuses to recognize Israel and is committed to using violence to "drive the Jews into the sea?"

 

 
 
Sickening really. You talk like you have a special line on what is really going on in Gaza.

 

No special line. These things have been reported by credible news organizations extensively.
Gazans did vote in Hamas and the ones that didn't vote for them, voted for Fatah. They are not as crazy as Hamas, but they did cheer the recent kidnapping and murder of three Jewish children by members of Hamas that initiated a lot of this. They are not exactly the good guys either.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

Your line of thinking that "they elected them, they deserve it"

Why are you placing that in quotes? Are you quoting yourself? That is - yet another - fabrication created by you.

 

I did ask, what Gazans expected when they elected a violent terrorist group to represent them. However, they obviously expected different results from that foolish decision, than what they got. 

Edited August 1, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[dexterm]

 

Your line of thinking that "they elected them, they deserve it"

Why are you placing that in quotes? Are you quoting yourself? That is - yet another - fabrication created by you.

 

I did ask, what Gazans expected when they elected a violent terrorist group to represent them. However, they obviously expected different results from that foolish decision, than what they got. 

 

 

Same could be said for Israelis electing war mongering Likud and its far right coalition partners, rather than voting for a party of peace.

[kblaze]

 

Your line of thinking that "they elected them, they deserve it"

Why are you placing that in quotes? Are you quoting yourself? That is - yet another - fabrication created by you.

 

I did ask, what Gazans expected when they elected a violent terrorist group to represent them. However, they obviously expected different results from that foolish decision, than what they got. 

 

 

Its in quotes because its not my line of thinking.

 

Its not a fabrication at all. Don't you believe the Gazans are reaping what they sow for electing Hamas?

[Ulysses G.]

I didn't say it and you put it in quotes when replying to my post. It is fabricated. Your "interpretation" of my comments does not matter.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Pattszero]

@Morch - link to the research please. 

[ggold]

 

 

 

I think at this point you're talking about a generation that isn't born yet. Hamas propagandizes from very early:

 

 

3 referring to the 3 Israeli boys that were murdered

 

 

Hamas doesn't need to work very hard on anti-Israeli feelings in Gaza. Prisoner-of-war type of enclave with three lots of atrocities is actually helping Hamas and creating more and more fighters.

 

They are more concerned with the murder of hundreds of their fellow civilians on top of the thousands in the previous two genocidal attacks. Israel never seems to learn.

 

 

They are more concerned with the murder of hundreds of their fellow civilians

 

That's why Hamas use their civilians as Human shields.  Obviously you missed that part, in order to make such a comment! Helps if you know what you are talking about.

 

 

 

Sick 'smiley'.

 

You are yet again spouting Israeli propaganda which you have filled TV threads with. I have no time for those who blame victims for being blown to bits with nowhere to go. Contemptuous.

 

 

 

actually I think you will find it is Hamas propaganda, they like to brag about using human sheilds!

 

[CBR250]

It was refreshing to find that these 50 reservists were prepared to attract the ire of the Zionist movement (and other Israelis who by virtue of their "neutrality" aid and abet the right-wing Zionists). I'm sure it can't be easy for them. One of the ways in which we can offer our minimal support to these reservists is to join in the BDS campaign. This campaign promotes the use of boycotts (academic, cultural, consumer), divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights

 

Israel's exports to Thailand amounted to $543.5 million in 2013. So, to support these 50 reservists watch for the following items (some are household items) and where possible ensure that they did not originate in Israel. Encourage your favourite artists not to perform in Israel. Elvis Costello and Carlos Santana have cancelled gigs there. Bono, U2 and Bjork have refused to perform there. Neil Young recently cancelled a gig planned for July 17th due to "security concerns", although one hopes that the petitions he received to not play may also have influenced the decision.

 

Main Imports to Thailand from Israel.

  1. Gems, precious metals, coins: $271.4 million

  2. Electronic equipment: $56.7 million

  3. Fertilizers: $37.6 million

  4. Other chemical goods: $31.8 million

  5. Medical, technical equipment: $29.4 million

  6. Machines, engines, pumps: $23.7 million

  7. Inorganic chemicals: $12.2 million

  8. Base metal tools, cutlery: $9.6 million

  9. Vegetable/fruit preparations: $9.5 million

10. Arms, ammunition: $8 million (can't do much to stop this one unless your wife works in defence procurement)

[Ulysses G.]

 

One of the ways in which we can offer our minimal support to these reservists is to join in the BDS campaign.

 

Start out by boycotting Israeli treatments and research, why don't you? They are making amazing strides in medicine.   


Brainless BDS activists can ignore Israel’s latest neurological discoveries and innovations such as:
How regulating the protein Calphotin can prevent Alzheimer’s disease
Why the sugar substitute mannitol protects the brain against Parkinson’s
Deep Brain Stimulation which treats Parkinson’s disease and helps smokers to quit
The pre-natal diagnostic tool for prevention of genetic mental retardation
BioControl Medical’s system that reduces epileptic episodes by half.
Alcobra’s ADHD medication, which is safer than Ritalin and has few side effects.
And certainly Weizmann’s research into how the brain repairs itself.
http://blogs.jpost.com/content/boycott-israel-good-grief

Edited August 1, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

Don't buy from the Jews. Sound familiar?

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[up-country_sinclair]

 

Yes, unfortunately Dog is an accurate description of the level of evolution achieved by the Israeli leadership. They certainly have not as yet evolved to the level of homo sapiens - or so it seems by their obvious lack of cerebral sophistication in working out where their behaviour will lead. Or maybe they don't care that their children and grandchildren will still be fighting as another generation of hatred and mistrust is bred from the current actions. Very smart.

 

 

It really sounds like you are describing Hamas leadership. Yes, over the years Israel's government has made mistakes, but Hamas IS a mistake. 

 

 

Nearly 70 years since Israel was founded and it's been nothing but one war after another.  Thousands killed and countless injured.  Tell me again what the mistake was. 
 

[Ulysses G.]

Nearly 70 years since Israel was founded and it's been nothing but one war after another.  Thousands killed and countless injured.  Tell me again what the mistake was.

Starting war after war that you never win and living in a purgatory of your own making while Israel thrives

[up-country_sinclair]

 

Nearly 70 years since Israel was founded and it's been nothing but one war after another.  Thousands killed and countless injured.  Tell me again what the mistake was.

Starting war after war that you never win and living in a purgatory of your own making while Israel thrives

 

 

If Israel "thrives", why does it need to take at least $3.5 billion in charity from US taxpayers every year?    

[Ulysses G.]

 

 

Nearly 70 years since Israel was founded and it's been nothing but one war after another.  Thousands killed and countless injured.  Tell me again what the mistake was.

Starting war after war that you never win and living in a purgatory of your own making while Israel thrives

 

 

If Israel "thrives", why does it need to take at least $3.5 billion in charity from US taxpayers every year?  

 

 

For military supplies that Israel then buys from the US. There are benefits to being one of the closet allies of the worlds only superpower and the only reliable one in a very important region.  

[Morch]

It was refreshing to find that these 50 reservists were prepared to attract the ire of the Zionist movement (and other Israelis who by virtue of their "neutrality" aid and abet the right-wing Zionists). I'm sure it can't be easy for them. One of the ways in which we can offer our minimal support to these reservists is to join in the BDS campaign. This campaign promotes the use of boycotts (academic, cultural, consumer), divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights

 

Israel's exports to Thailand amounted to $543.5 million in 2013. So, to support these 50 reservists watch for the following items (some are household items) and where possible ensure that they did not originate in Israel. Encourage your favourite artists not to perform in Israel. Elvis Costello and Carlos Santana have cancelled gigs there. Bono, U2 and Bjork have refused to perform there. Neil Young recently cancelled a gig planned for July 17th due to "security concerns", although one hopes that the petitions he received to not play may also have influenced the decision.

 

Main Imports to Thailand from Israel.

  1. Gems, precious metals, coins: $271.4 million

  2. Electronic equipment: $56.7 million

  3. Fertilizers: $37.6 million

  4. Other chemical goods: $31.8 million

  5. Medical, technical equipment: $29.4 million

  6. Machines, engines, pumps: $23.7 million

  7. Inorganic chemicals: $12.2 million

  8. Base metal tools, cutlery: $9.6 million

  9. Vegetable/fruit preparations: $9.5 million

10. Arms, ammunition: $8 million (can't do much to stop this one unless your wife works in defence procurement)

 

How about calling on Thailand to return all the Thai workers in Israel back home.

I'm sure that they will be sympathetic with your cause and readily give up related income funneled back home.

 

Just to clarify, do you personally make a point of advocating and upholding similar boycotts on products made in each

and every country deemed violating human rights, or is just this one? Asking as there's a lot of imports flowing in from

the PRC, for example... 
 

[Morch]

 

 

Yes, unfortunately Dog is an accurate description of the level of evolution achieved by the Israeli leadership. They certainly have not as yet evolved to the level of homo sapiens - or so it seems by their obvious lack of cerebral sophistication in working out where their behaviour will lead. Or maybe they don't care that their children and grandchildren will still be fighting as another generation of hatred and mistrust is bred from the current actions. Very smart.

 

 

It really sounds like you are describing Hamas leadership. Yes, over the years Israel's government has made mistakes, but Hamas IS a mistake. 

 

 

Nearly 70 years since Israel was founded and it's been nothing but one war after another.  Thousands killed and countless injured.  Tell me again what the mistake was. 
 

 

 

Yes...and to think that the region was so peaceful before that. Hardly a war fought on the very grounds, eh?

 

 

[Morch]

 

 

Nearly 70 years since Israel was founded and it's been nothing but one war after another.  Thousands killed and countless injured.  Tell me again what the mistake was.

Starting war after war that you never win and living in a purgatory of your own making while Israel thrives

 

 

If Israel "thrives", why does it need to take at least $3.5 billion in charity from US taxpayers every year?  

 

 

With most of it conditioned and earmarked for purchases from USA firms, it is really more of subsidy of the weapon industry

rather than a full pledged grant.

[CBR250]

 

It was refreshing to find that these 50 reservists were prepared to attract the ire of the Zionist movement (and other Israelis who by virtue of their "neutrality" aid and abet the right-wing Zionists). I'm sure it can't be easy for them. One of the ways in which we can offer our minimal support to these reservists is to join in the BDS campaign. This campaign promotes the use of boycotts (academic, cultural, consumer), divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights

 

Israel's exports to Thailand amounted to $543.5 million in 2013. So, to support these 50 reservists watch for the following items (some are household items) and where possible ensure that they did not originate in Israel. Encourage your favourite artists not to perform in Israel. Elvis Costello and Carlos Santana have cancelled gigs there. Bono, U2 and Bjork have refused to perform there. Neil Young recently cancelled a gig planned for July 17th due to "security concerns", although one hopes that the petitions he received to not play may also have influenced the decision.

 

Main Imports to Thailand from Israel.

  1. Gems, precious metals, coins: $271.4 million

  2. Electronic equipment: $56.7 million

  3. Fertilizers: $37.6 million

  4. Other chemical goods: $31.8 million

  5. Medical, technical equipment: $29.4 million

  6. Machines, engines, pumps: $23.7 million

  7. Inorganic chemicals: $12.2 million

  8. Base metal tools, cutlery: $9.6 million

  9. Vegetable/fruit preparations: $9.5 million

10. Arms, ammunition: $8 million (can't do much to stop this one unless your wife works in defence procurement)

 

Just to clarify, do you personally make a point of advocating and upholding similar boycotts on products made in each

and every country deemed violating human rights, or is just this one? Asking as there's a lot of imports flowing in from

the PRC, for example... 
 

 

 

No, I don't throw around the idea of boycotts or sanctions loosely at all. I supported the sanctions of South Africa, and the economic isolation of the military junta in Burma.

Also, I admire Archbishop Desmond Tutu (amongst many other serious lovers of peace), and am more than happy to promote his suggestion to target what he refers to as "the apartheid of Israel" through boycotts and sanctions.

Most normal forms of opposition to Israel's excesses are being ignored. The allies of Israel - particularly the USA - have pleaded with Israel to stop undermining the peace process. We have to try any other helpful additional strategy in maintaining the message. I doubt that BDS will have a major effect, but maybe many small actions can do what one single strategy cannot.

[Morch]

 

 

It was refreshing to find that these 50 reservists were prepared to attract the ire of the Zionist movement (and other Israelis who by virtue of their "neutrality" aid and abet the right-wing Zionists). I'm sure it can't be easy for them. One of the ways in which we can offer our minimal support to these reservists is to join in the BDS campaign. This campaign promotes the use of boycotts (academic, cultural, consumer), divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights

 

Israel's exports to Thailand amounted to $543.5 million in 2013. So, to support these 50 reservists watch for the following items (some are household items) and where possible ensure that they did not originate in Israel. Encourage your favourite artists not to perform in Israel. Elvis Costello and Carlos Santana have cancelled gigs there. Bono, U2 and Bjork have refused to perform there. Neil Young recently cancelled a gig planned for July 17th due to "security concerns", although one hopes that the petitions he received to not play may also have influenced the decision.

 

Main Imports to Thailand from Israel.

  1. Gems, precious metals, coins: $271.4 million

  2. Electronic equipment: $56.7 million

  3. Fertilizers: $37.6 million

  4. Other chemical goods: $31.8 million

  5. Medical, technical equipment: $29.4 million

  6. Machines, engines, pumps: $23.7 million

  7. Inorganic chemicals: $12.2 million

  8. Base metal tools, cutlery: $9.6 million

  9. Vegetable/fruit preparations: $9.5 million

10. Arms, ammunition: $8 million (can't do much to stop this one unless your wife works in defence procurement)

 

Just to clarify, do you personally make a point of advocating and upholding similar boycotts on products made in each

and every country deemed violating human rights, or is just this one? Asking as there's a lot of imports flowing in from

the PRC, for example... 
 

 

 

No, I don't throw around the idea of boycotts or sanctions loosely at all. I supported the sanctions of South Africa, and the economic isolation of the military junta in Burma.

Also, I admire Archbishop Desmond Tutu (amongst many other serious lovers of peace), and am more than happy to promote his suggestion to target what he refers to as "the apartheid of Israel" through boycotts and sanctions.

Most normal forms of opposition to Israel's excesses are being ignored. The allies of Israel - particularly the USA - have pleaded with Israel to stop undermining the peace process. We have to try any other helpful additional strategy in maintaining the message. I doubt that BDS will have a major effect, but maybe many small actions can do what one single strategy cannot.

 

 

I have no issues with people wishing to boycott products for one reason or another. Personally, I'm not that good at

upholding these sort of thing. Mrs. Morch was quite exasperated when I continued to buy one of my favorite dishes

from a stall with a different choice of shirt color than hers.

 

My point is that people often pick these boycotts as they see fit and, as far as I can tell, when the personal price paid

is not too dear. Boycotting Israel is not a major hardship for most people, so why not? Boycotting the PRC quite a

different undertaking.

 

Desmond Tutu is far from being objective when it comes to the conflict or when it comes to Israel. While his work in

South Africa can be admired, one may question how does his opinions and take of the situation and reality in the area

carry that much weight - as far as I am aware his first hand experience of such is quite limited.

 

Not really sure which normal forms of oppositions to Israel's actions are ignored and by whom. Indeed, it seems most

countries are not overly impressed with demonstrations, protests and international condemnations - how is Israel that

different from others on this front?

[CBR250]

 

My point is that people often pick these boycotts as they see fit and, as far as I can tell, when the personal price paid

is not too dear. Boycotting Israel is not a major hardship for most people, so why not? Boycotting the PRC quite a

different undertaking.

 

Desmond Tutu is far from being objective when it comes to the conflict or when it comes to Israel. While his work in

South Africa can be admired, one may question how does his opinions and take of the situation and reality in the area

carry that much weight - as far as I am aware his first hand experience of such is quite limited.

 

Not really sure which normal forms of oppositions to Israel's actions are ignored and by whom. Indeed, it seems most

countries are not overly impressed with demonstrations, protests and international condemnations - how is Israel that

different from others on this front?

 

 

You might see your way clear to dismiss Desmond Tutu. I admire the man, and if he has not spent a lot of time in Palestine or Israel, this does not prevent him having a detailed understanding of the issues. If we use the criteria of "time spent", then we can count out John Kerry and Ban Ki Moon and Obama and Cameron and Hollande and ...  AndI still trust Tutu's integrity more than trust that of any of the others I have mentioned.

The forms of opposition ignored include not only people on the streets, but various UN resolutions, statements from many politicians (from countries supportive of Israel, such as the UK, France, Australia); condemnation of Israel's actions by non-aligned INGOs and  NGOs (WHO, UNICEF, Amnesty International, ICRC). Most countries with any sensitivity amongst its government members would question why they are almost universally questioned, if not condemned. Israel certainly is different. Unless there is some backroom angst that we never hear of?

 

[Jay Sata]

We all know the answer is the guilt propaganda built up from WW2.

The holocaust claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Serbs,gypsies,Roma,gay people and the disabled along with Jews.

However Israel supporters are ever ready to trot it out as some sort of defence to the disproportionate discrimination they have inflicted on Palestinians over half a century and especially since 1967.