The Next Front in Israel’s Campaign to Silence Dissent
  • May 27, 2011

The Next Front in Israel’s Campaign to Silence Dissent

The Next Front in Israel’s Campaign to Silence Dissent

Naomi Klein argues that the efforts to silence the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign have only brought attention to the cause.

The Nation
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At the 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, it was decided that Israel would face the “South Africa Model” of boycotts, divestments and sanctions. This response was deemed appropriate after Israel’s treatment of Palestinians was likened to the institutionalized segregation of apartheid South Africa. Israel, as well as other countries, tried to crush this decision and rhetoric, by, among other things, boycotting the UN’s "Durban II" 2009 conference on human rights. The Nation’s Naomi Klein, who supports the campaign to pressure Israel economically, said at a May 19th panel in New York City that Israel has now started fighting this battle through new means: by silencing any opposition through charges of anti-Semitism.

This came as part of a larger discussion about the Goldstone Report, which urged both Israel and Hamas to investigate war crimes committed during the 2008-09 invasion of Gaza. Klein joined Noura Erakat, Lizzy Ratner, Trudie Styler and Col. Desmond Travers for a panel moderated by Laura Flanders and hosted by The Culture Project and Mondoweiss for a conversation on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the ongoing tremors felt since, and in response, to the report’s release. To watch the full video, click here.

Video courtesy of FORA.tv.

—Sara Jerving

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