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- albertapettigrew
What do you do when a clergy member libels you?
As some folks know, I am one of the many people who worked on the campaign to get the Olympia Food Co-op to honor the boycott of Israeli products.
Yesterday, the Olympian published a letter by Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg against the boycott. Unfortuantely, Rabbi Kinberg’s letter contained significant misinformation about the boycott. There is already a lot of misinformation out there, but the fact that this was published in the Olympian by a respected clergy member was disconcerting, exacerbated by the fact that she knew what she was writing was false.
This problem was compounded when the Olympian issued an editorial today repeating Rabbi Kinberg’s falsehoods.
Rabbi Kinberg’s letter, as printed, was only 162 words. Here is the most egregious portion of the letter, followed by an examination of the falsehoods:
"This effort was organized by the international Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement which currently has paid organizers in town working to achieve their ends by the means of exploiting our community and creating division between community members."BDS has a history of going into small towns like Olympia, organizing against Israel, creating tensions and anger among community members and then moving on to their next effort leaving a broken community behind."
Lie #1: Organizers of BDS in Olympia are getting paid to promote BDS in town.
Response: Rabbi Kinberg provides no proof. She knows this is a lie. No one is getting paid to tout BDS. We're losing our own money and our own time working on these efforts and having to battle all the lies that Rabbi Kinberg and others keep spreading. We do it because we care about the state of the world, not because we like to annoy Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg.
Lie #2: Organizers of BDS are working for some large international "BDS" organization.
Response: BDS is an international grassroots movement. There is no centralized BDS headquarters that pulls the strings. It started with the 2005 BDS call by 170+ Palestinian civil society organizations located in Palestine and Israel. It has been endorsed by trade unions, peace groups, and prominent figures around the world. We started this local campaign on our own. We also did not pay Desmond Tutu, Naomi Klein, Cindy Sheehan, John Berger, Tariq Ali, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright, Paul Kivel, or Roger Waters for their endorsements.
Lie #3: The goal of BDS is to "exploit[] our community and creat[e] division.
Response: The only exploitation I see here is Rabbi Kinberg using the Olympian to spread lies across the community.
As for creating division, we are not the ones telling people to boycott the Co-op. We are not the ones spreading lies that the Co-op board is calling for the destruction of Israel. We are not the ones making threats against the Co-op and harrassing Co-op staff. We are not the ones who are trying to frighten the Co-op board into circumventing its own established policies.
Those complaining about the Co-op's lack of democratic process could have initiated a member ballot to overturn a decision that they did not like. The fact that they've avoided this process and are trying to scare the board into submission proves that process is not a true concern.
We are Co-op members. One of the first requests to honor the boycott was made in 2008 by a longtime Co-op working member.
Lie #4: The BDS conspiracy enters susceptible communities, create tensions and anger, and then move on, "leaving a broken community behind.
If I made this accusation against Rabbi Kinberg, it could arguably be called anti-Semitism. What are we to make of this? Throughout Rabbi Kinberg's letter, she implies that promoters of BDS in Olympia are actually paid outside agitators, to be distinguished from true Co-op members. In reality, I've lived in this community longer than she has. Not that it should matter—except that she brought it up—but I've worked in this community for most of my life, while she works in Bellevue.
Rabbi Kinberg knows who I am. She knows that what she wrote is false. So why did she resort to such bold lies?
This is my suspicion:
1. She is unable to make any arguments against the Co-op's boycott of Israeli goods, so instead she resorts to lies against its most vocal advocates.
2. She is exploiting her position as a rabbi and as one who is married to the town's most prominent rabbi, expecting that her claims will go unquestioned and that her accusations will carry more weight than our denials.
3. She knows that once such outlandish claims have been published in the newspaper, they can never be completely disproven. The idea will float in people's minds. Regardless of the truth, people will associate boycott proponents as somehow being paid outside agitators set on wreaking havoc in the community.
4. This conflict with Rabbi Kinberg shifts the focus from Palestinian human rights to a local tiff. It attempts to distract and demoralize the organizers, scare away bystanders and potential supporters, and make people believe that the only way to end this "divisiveness" is to oppose the boycott.
It does not please me to call out an individual like this, and I previously refrained from doing so. However, Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg has been exploiting her position of power, has been targeting me and a few other individuals specifically and by name, and has made serious accusations before the public.
The more I stay quiet about it, the more intentional damage she will do.
I am aware that she has also attempted to derail our organizing efforts, even trying to get an upcoming public event cancelled. This is very unbecoming of a spiritual leader (if I may say so as an agnostic). It is clear from Rabbi Kinberg's own actions that she is not interested in dialogue, she is not interested in democratic process, and she is not interested in helping people in the community become informed.
It's unfortunate that some people will see my response as a personal attack against a high-ranking individual. For those people who are unable to weigh the evidence, there is nothing I can do.
After reading Rabbi Kinberg’s lies in the paper yesterday, I called up the office of the Olympian’s opinion editor, Mike Oakland. Oakland was not in, and reporter John Dodge answered the call. I pointed out to Dodge that the letter was full of lies and that Rabbi Kinberg knew so. Dodge said he would assign a reporter to look into it.
Today, however, the Olympian published an editorial that reiterated Kinberg’s claim that “the decision was prompted by outside agitators.” I called Managing Editor Jerry Wakefield, who, like John Dodge, said he was assigning a reporter to it. He was reluctant to issue a correction and told me to wait until his reporter covered the issue to see if that would resolve my concerns. We’ll see.
There are a lot of people in the community who support the Co-op's boycott decision but are scared to be public about it. You can see why.
P.S.: With the exception of the quoted pieces, these are all my words and should not be attributed to any other person or organization, as has already been done in an attempt to defame me or others.
P.P.S: Other lies in her 162-word letter:
"Recently, the Olympia Food Co-op board of directors voted to boycott all products from Israel.
She knows that not ALL products from Israel are boycotted.
"...this decision to single out Israel for human rights abuses...
She knows that this is not the only boycott ever instituted by the Co-op.
P.P.P.S.: If you want to actually hear from the organizers themselves rather than follow all the rumors and lies being spread in town, be sure to attend the August 4 event at Traditions, at 7 PM.
P.P.P.P.S.: Some of Rabbi Kinberg's false claims are reminiscent of the accusations made by Jon Haber, the guy from Massachusetts who runs the "Divest This" blog. Jon seems to be relishing in the current Olympia social dynamics. If anyone wants to know how reliable Jon Haber is, check out my conversation with him in the comments section on his website. Notice how he makes a bunch of accusations, is proven wrong each time, and then simply ignores that and comes up with different charges.
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Comments
Israel needs to change
Phan, thank you for providing this reasonable critique to Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg's letter, and serving to rebut some of the harmful and false ideas that are circulating about the boycott.
I have long felt sympathetic to Zionism, because of what Jews experienced in Europe. And while I have been opposed to violent Zionism, or "gun zionism", now I am questioning what proportion of Zionism isn't violent.
BDS—IS a nonviolent tactic of persuasion.It seems like those who libel BDS are making it harder for people to reasonably defend Zionism at all.
BDS—Does NOT seek to demonize Israel.
BDS seeks to persuade Israel to change—to stop its destructive behavior.
Israel needs to change, for the good of all people, including both Palestinians AND Israelis!
Peace is Possible!
A response
Hi Berd,
I wanted to write and introduce myself to you. I am Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg. I am a lcoal mom and the wife of one of the local rabbis. I also work as a Rabbi myself in Bellevue. Many of the things Phan wrote about me are untrue. I am not sure where he is getting his information. My letter to the editor was based on my own research and my own experiences and conversations. It is my view and I decided, as a citizen of Olympia, to voice it in my local paper.
I agree Israel needs to change but this is not the way. I do not want or need to argue about this with you. You are welcome to do your own activism in your own way. I just want to belong to a coop that is a food coop- a palce to buy food that welcomes and accpets that diversity of its membership. I want my coop to hear the vocies of its members and to activly seek out diverse opinions. This did not happen and this is why I am speaking out.
Peace is possible. I know this for sure.
I'll echo Olyguy's response
I'll echo Olyguy's response (below) and request that you give us something more than a blanket denial. Phan brought up very specific instances where he argues that you lied. Now, most of those points are open to interpretation, especially value statements like "leaving a broken community behind." But they can certainly be backed up by facts & leave your audience (ie me & others like me who prefer to approach this issue rationally) w/ enough information to come to their own conclusions. Right now, these are mine:
You have not backed up any of your claims w/ evidence.***
You have a very condescending tone in your repsonses.
You are deeply, emotionally tied to this issue.
You are afraid of actual, direct interaction & conversation. ("I do not want or need to argue about this with you")
That last sentence is very telling. You chose to engage in this debate w/ your LTTE. Then why are you pulling back? If you've done this research, why let it go to waste? Let us in on it. I'd very much like to know what you've found. I can certainly make up my own mind, but I always welcome new information. If you can't change your mind, how do you know you still have one? Bringing up side issues like your family-life isn't germane to the topic at hand. You made serious accusations against the OFC & the BDS organization. By refusing to address any counter-arguments, it looks like you really didn't do any of that research you claimed, or are simply putting your own emotional spin on a few inert facts that have no value in & of themselves.
***(okay, I just read your recent response. It's something, but in a court of law, it would be labeled third-party evidence & inadmissable. If this is all you have to go on to write an accusatory public letter, then you deserve anything you get.)
assumptions re: organizing, beliefs
Dear Rabbi Kinberg:
Last night I attended a local play, The Laramie Project. The play reviews what has changed--and not changed--in the Laramie community following the death of Matthew Shephard, in Laramie, in 1998. You may recall that Shephard was brutally beaten to death because he was homosexual. (Not because of drugs or money, as portrayed on 20/20, which promoted incorrect assumptions about the crime). How community members respond to what happened provide us with some parallels to the deaths happening in Gaza. Hundreds more LGBT persons have been murdered in the last decade. Without going into extraneous detail, I do understand (which does not mean condone, support) that hate and fear are involved in killing innocent people.
The play makes a very significant point, relevant to generalizations made about "paid organizers" or any allusion to outsiders organizing the Olympia BDS. Part of what we do, as pointed out in the play, is we paint sweeping generalizations, to hide our own complex reactions to criminal actions.
Who is a paid organizer? What are their affiliations? What is their purpose or concern? And where does your information come from?
I observe more damage done by unchallenged assumptions, which we all do when we care deeply about a topic. We assume we understand what the other is saying. I've observed over years of conflict resolution practice, people not understanding or hearing each other. To undo damage, what is needed is
1. Willingness to own being wrong.
2. Own the error and seek more information.
3. Elicit what is driving the other's expression of concern. What's their issue really
about? Listen fully for understanding --only if that's what you want
4. State differences in ways that respect the other's fears or anguish.
The statement of generalized "facts" raises the question of whether or not one wishes to truly enter a difficult discussion. Lies or misstatement of fact widen the gap, increase mistrust.
A commitment to truth lies in a shared willingness to challenge and hear each other.
I am looking forward to your forthcoming sources, printed in the Daily Olympian. An apology for your sweeping generalization is what I am asking from you.
mon alisa
sorry
I clarified with a BDS member that what both my mother and I heard in our conversations (two different) conversations with BDS members about there being a paid organizer was a misunderstanding. i worte the olympian and told them that even though there were two of us who "misheard" this I am going to give these two people the benefit of the doubt.
I 100 percent stand by everything else I wrote and my experiences over the last 2 weeks have only confirmed and reconfirmed over and over again what I wrote. Sorry. No apology and the people who keep writing that i "deserve anything that I get" will not intimidate me.
Hmmm...
seems that broadly disseminating a story that you now half-heartedly characterize as a misunderstanding is definately something to apologize for. I was a fool to give you the benefit of the doubt.
The other way to say this is
Oops, I was wrong. Sorry.
PS
Your spelling errors and seriously scattered sentence structure is troubling. It reeks of intoxicated blogging.
Due Process
I would also like for people to consider the argument that there was not due process for this decision.
I rather think that there was due process—that the co-op followed due process on this.
When staff was unable to reach consensus, the decision went to the board, as called for in the organizational agreement.
The dissenting/blocking staff member(s) should have had knowledge, and did have every right to organize against passage of the boycott at the board level.
The fight for human rights is not the divisive element. The divisive element comes from the crimes that the state of Israel is committing against Palestinians.
p.s. I still hope that people are talking about potential clarifications to the specific terms of the boycott. i.e. a) defining "all Arab Lands" (does that mean the 1967 "green-line" boundaries,) and b) as Guglielmo pointed out, the right of Palestinians to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194 (what does that mean exactly.)
I look forward to the Why Boycott, Why Divest event tonight.
Here's the text excerpted as it currently exists:
What ends the boycott?
As outlined in the Palestinian Call for Boycott, the boycott will end when:
1. Israel ends its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantles the Wall;
2. Israel recognizes the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full
equality;
3. Israel respects, protects and promotes the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their
homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
As a member, how do I give input on this decision?
The Board welcomes all feedback from members. You can contact us by emailing
board@olympiafood.coop or by calling our business office at 357-1106 ext 13
Peace is Possible!
...
...
Touchy, touchy, touchy
Given that BDS is dedicated entirely to spreading libels against Israel and its defenders, your touchiness over having to contend with criticism is telling, as is the constant dance you have to do to claim that you are nothing more than a local grassroots project (demanding "outsiders" stay out of your business) while simultaneously celebrating being part of a great, global "movement".
More at: http://www.divestthis.com/2010/08/olympia-bds-inside-out.html
PPPPPS - Hi PN - I'm glad to know that ISM hasn't gotten you or anyone else killed recently. - JH
Touchiness
I think people are touchy for a number of quite understandable and predictable reasons. For example, people are working for peace and justice, while being accused of being anti-Semitic. That's enough to rile someone up, don't you think?
Fortunately, most people know that those who advocate BDS are not anti-Semitic—are not motivated by hatred for Jews.
Really, that's a ridiculous thought. And I think people like you who, and organizations like StandWithUs, which, work to spread this kind of thinking do a real disservice to the potential for peace.
I think that this conversation here on the Internet with you Jon might be quite fruitless, and more, actually might be destructive to the purpose of peaceful and mutually beneficial negotiation and reconciliation.
Jon. You're behavior is disruptive, your arguments intend to inflame and incite. Your interactions amount to harassment.
Please, stop being so mean to people Jon.
Thank you.
Peace is Possible!
Berd Whitlock
Toucheness
The trouble is, Berd, you are not working for peace and justice, you're working for the BDS "movement" - a propaganda campaign dedicated to perpetuating conflict and war, not stopping it. And as for anti-Semitism, I know you prefer to pretend your critics are simply hurling empty accusations of Jew hatred, rather than presenting valid arguments you refuse to acknowledge or discuss. You've been working this ploy for weeks now, to the point where I have to believe this is simply a defense mechanisms to protect your psyche from understanding the true warlike purpose of BDS and the fact that people such as me have its (and your) number.
As for the rest of your post, while your ludicrous "stop being so mean to me" arguments might have worked with your mother, such whining is really not becoming for an alleged grown up. If the fact that I and others present facts that you'd rather not exist or present opinions you'd rather have supressed, that's the price for being involved in contraversy. If the heat of the kitchen bothers you, exit it, but please don't pretend that having what passes for your arguments smashed one after another amounts to some form of harassment.
working for peace and justice
Actually, Jon, I am working for peace and justice.
And I think my arguments can stand on their own. I am not aware of any smashing, thank you.
Peace is Possible!
Berd
Outing professional Trolls
REPOSTED from http://ptleader.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=27784&SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55 COMMENT Posted: Thursday, September 23, 2010 Article comment by: Jon Haber
Bethel - While I am not in a position to comment on what transpired at a meeting I did not attend (since I live 3000 miles away), your comment that the Olympia Co-op followed proper procedure is belied by the co-op boycott policies themselves which can be found here: http://olympiafood.coop/boycott Those policies clearly state that decision-making power rests with the staff and that these decision-makers must make such a decision by consensus. Since they did not reach this consensus, then the threshold for a boycott spelled out in the co-op's own policy was not met. And yet a boycott is now in place. I've avoided making too much of such an argument since a boycott policy that does not allow members input into such a decision (as was the case in Olympia) is a bad choice regardless of whether or not the letter of the rules was followed. But that said, I think it's a stretch to say that the Olympia board followed the rules they set in place in order to reach what now appears to have been a foregone conclusion." http://ptleader.com
So why is it that this guy is chiming in on discussions involving multiple Co-Ops 3000 miles away from him? Is it just interest? Is it just a paid position?
re: gotten killed
Jon, it's very comforting to think you care, but I disagree with the implication of your statement, that someone's involvement in ISM might be cause for being killed.
People doing international solidarity may indeed put their lives at risk, but it is not necessarily their fault when they get killed.
p.s. your statement could also be interpreted as threatening in and of itself.
Peace is Possible!
Berd
Thanks Phan...
...it is nice to hear some well reasoned thoughts on this matter. It is really interesting to see how the "other side" reacts to facts and logic.
Thank you soooooo much.
A response to Phan from Yohanna
Dear Phan, You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. We obviously read this situation differently. I based my letter to the editor on my own research (mostly from the BDS website and reading accounts of other boycott efforts) and from my conversations with BDS members and Board members. Calling me a liar is completely out of line and to do so publicly is truly defamation of my name.
I know you are friends with my mom so you know our story. You know that I have lived here for 7 years, that I have lived in the PNW most of my life. You know I am the mom of two small kids who attend local schools and that I commute 120 a day to Bellevue so that I can support my family. You probably also know from taking Hebrew classes with my mom that we are a pro-peace family. We have lived in Israel and worked on behalf of Palestinian rights for many, many years.
In your Olyblog post you write several things about my recent work to rescind the OFC boycott that are not true and that, frankly, I have no idea what you are referencing.
"It does not please me to call out an individual like this, and I previously refrained from doing so. However, Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg has been exploiting her position of power, has been targeting me and a few other individuals specifically and by name, and has made serious accusations before the public."
I DO NOT KNOW THE NAMES OF THE ORGANIZERS AND HAVE NEVER TARGETED ANYONE BY NAME. I only know your name because my mother told me that she was your friend. Phan. I have no idea what you are referring to with this accusation. It is very strange and anyone who knows me knows I would never target individuals.
"The more I stay quiet about it, the more intentional damage she will do. I am aware that she has also attempted to derail our organizing efforts, even trying to get an upcoming public event cancelled. This is very unbecoming of a spiritual leader (if I may say so as an agnostic)."
Phan, I have no idea what you are talking about here. What event?
"It is clear from Rabbi Kin berg’s own actions that she is not interested in dialogue, she is not interested in democratic process, and she is not interested in helping people in the community become informed. It's unfortunate that some people will see my response as a personal attack against a high-ranking individual. For those people who are unable to weigh the evidence, there is nothing I can do."
Phan, I am not a high ranking public official. In Bellevue I am the Associate Rabbi and Director of Education of an 800 family Reform congregation. I spend my days counseling people, organizing educational programs, writing sermons about peace, about compassion, and about justice and personal spiritual development. I work very hard to support and love my congregation and my family. In Olympia I am a mom and wife. I decided to take personal action when I heard about the boycott because I wanted my voice to count in the process. I also want Olympia to be a safe and comfortable place for all of us who live here. This is the place I chose to raise my children.
Phan, you really should come over for coffee sometime soon. I know you are writing these terrible things about me because you feel attacked and at a loss. I am open to learning and exploring the issues at hand. I have my opinions and my reading of this situation. I want our community to live in peace with each other. I want my food coop to be a food coop-a place where we can buy healthy food to nurish our bodies. I want Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and I want to be an advocate for that peace in a way that feels intellectually honest and emotionally honest within the context of my own life. I have my ideas about how we will get there and you have your ideas. But we are both members of the same food coop and the actions of OUR food coop should reflect the opinions and voices of the members.
I stand by my letter to the editor. I am STUNNED by your very personal and offensive (and factually inaccurate) response. I am stunned but anyone who knows me will also tell you-I am not one who will be silenced through intimidation or personal attacks. I will keep my heart open to you and my invitaiton for coffee is real. But I will also be keeping my mouth open-not shut. I will speak my truth in my community and advocate for a lasting and real peace in Israel and Palestine.
Yohanna
This is getting all a little too 'Inside Baseball' at this point
Phan. If you really believe Yohanna libeled you, get a lawyer and sue.
Nice dodge Yohanna
I noticed in your response to Phan, you completely avoid addressing the falsehoods he highlighted in your letter to the editor. Let's focus on the most glaring example. You state that organizers of BDS in Olympia are getting paid. You claim to have found evidence of this "based on my own research and my own experiences and conversations." Please do tell. Can you produce any kind of documentation, say payroll records to substantiate your claim? You're asking us to believe you have some form of secret knowledge which proves BDS organizers have been paid despite your own admission that "I DO NOT KNOW THE NAMES OF THE ORGANIZERS AND HAVE NEVER TARGETED ANYONE BY NAME." So you KNOW this happening... but you don't have any specific names or actual evidence of any kind. What you printed was intellectually dishonest and morally reprehensible.
shame on you
on one hand you claim i have defamed using the names of members on the other hand you claim i have no knowledge because i do not k now the names of members. I will not name people. I know 2 names-Phan and one other person whose name I have never mentioned in writing or in person to anyone other than family members. I will say this:
a BDS member (whose name i do not know but it was in frontof an entire group of bds members) told me that their parnter was a paid organizer who had been working on this for 2 years. The next day that very partner told a family member of mine, in front of Phan, that they were a paid organizer who had been owrking on this for 2 years. What am i supposed to think? Should i have asked for a pay stub before coming to the conclusion that he was indeed a paid orngiazer?
You run to assume I am a horrible person, a liar just becuase I disagree with you.
Everything i wrote is true to my knowledge.
What do you do when a clergy member .....
My name is Philip Gerson and I am a member of Temple B'nai Torah in Bellevue Wa. I have worked with and have known Rabbi Kinberg for many years. She is a person of high integrity who cares deeply about issues of social justice and like me, she supports a fair and just solution for Israeli and Palestinians. I have just returned from Israel-Palestine where I was witness to the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and feel deeply for the Palestinian people who have lived under occupation without dignity for so many years. I support a two state solution and am in the process of working with the Al Arroub Refugee Camp on the West Bank supporting their workshops on non-violence and leadership training for Palestinian youth.
I think that Rabbi Kinberg, myself and many Jews in the US understand that Israeli policies regarding Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are wrong-minded and believe that the Israeli government needs to drastically change its policies and move rapidly to end the occupation.
It appears that all parties in this discussion both agree that changes must be made to allow the Palestinians to have their own state and live in full dignity. We just disagree on the tactics. I too think that boycotting of Israeli products will not be an effective tactic, and believe that putting pressure on our US State Department and Legislators to force Israel to end the occupation.
It upsets me deeply to hear you attack a person of Rabbi Kinberg's integrity on a personal basis rather then sitting down with her and discussing differences in achieving a common outcome. Omar Barghouti and Rabbi Arthur Waskow did just that on Democracy Now
I hope we can take that approach in Washington State and Olympia.
Phil Gerson
Yohanna made a very specific allegation
that the BSD activists are paid. To date nothing she claimed has been proven.
So...
a BDS member (whose name i do not know but it was in frontof an entire group of bds members) told me that their parnter was a paid organizer who had been working on this for 2 years. The next day that very partner told a family member of mine, in front of Phan, that they were a paid organizer who had been owrking on this for 2 years.
doesn't cut it for you, because the author is a known liar? I have no reason to think so, do you? I mean, if we're all about proving things these days.
And how do you prove it?
Like I said on another thread
the charge that someone is being paid to resist Zionism is beside the fact. I am proud that I have been paid by leftist groups like Greenpeace, Acorn, and a handful of local campaigns to do politics. It is a sign that I knew what the hell I was talking about.
The question here is about the wisdom of a boycott, not the income of activists. Underlying Yohanna's assertion is the BDS people are apolitical mercenaries. That is a pretty serious allegation and frankly is a slur on anyone who cares enough to find the economic wherewithal to stay in the fight.
Political tack is nice goal but unachievable in my experience
Hi Phil and all,
I'm an Evergreen alumna. I don't live in Olympia, but I do a lot of "work" (all volunteer!) with the Olympia community on many issues, including Palestinian human rights and anti-war-profiteering (US, Israeli, global).
If I'd not been watching the political aspect of the US-Israel/Palestinian conflict so closely since 2001, I'd have joined you in your belief/hopes that putting pressure on Congress and State would be the best route to enabling Palestinians a life of dignity.
After immersing myself in this issue (which I call the "US-Israel/Palestinian" conflict because this country plays a major role in prolonging the conflict and as Aaron David Miller, a former US negotiator said, we serve not as an honest broker but "as Israel's lawyer." And, as an Israeli friend of mine says, this conflict is one of the world's 4th-largest military backed by the world's only superpower against a mostly-unarmed civilian population)...so after immersing myself in the issue, I've come to wholeheartedly believe that bds [boycott, divestment, and sanctions] is the only route left to a viable peace with justice.
During one of my first lobbying experiences back in 2002 at one of the Senator's offices in Seattle, I brought lots of research detailing Israel's illegal settlement enterprise and the fact that the majority of Israelis weren't in favor of them, obviously the majority of Palestinians weren't in favor, and the majority of Americans didn't support them. "So how can it be that the US keeps enabling settlement growth?" I asked. The foreign policy aide told me "the lobby is just too strong."
This year, President Obama called for a settlement freeze -- but the Senate, at AIPAC's behest, cut him off at the knees. AIPAC wrote a letter that Senators Bayh & Risch sponsored and many Senators signed. The letter put the reason for the impasse on the Arab states, calling for them to normalize relations with Israel -- completely ignoring the fact that there's an offer from ALL the Arab States and most if not all non-Arab Islamic states already on the table that Israel continues to ignore. It calls for "land for peace" -- an Israeli state with borders on the Green Line. Even Hamas has said they would accept a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders if that's what Abbas negotiates for and the Palestinian people ratify it.
While it's true J-Street and others that provide an alternative to AIPAC are growing (many consider that AIPAC doesn't really support Israel, because they represent Likud...and Likud's platform states Israel will continue to build settlements wherever they like) - and while younger Jewish Americans are not supporting the "old-guard" organizations as Peter Beinart recently wrote about, the AIPAC/old guard alternative is not growing alternative funding fast enough to stop the facts on the ground that have actually already foreclosed on the possibility of a VIABLE Palestinian state. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem released a report recently called "By Hook or By Crook" in which they detail the fact that the settlement enterprise now consumes 42% of the occupied West Bank.
So already the only kind of state that's possible to offer the Palestinians is a bunch of disconnected bantustans and permanent subjugation. Like the fake "state" that was offered South African blacks.
So I'm convinced that Congress isn't able or willing to hold Israel accountable to international law and insist on its regard for Palestinian human rights. It's not just AIPAC that's pushing the obstruction to peace, it's also the Christian Zioninsts and the military industrial complex. Both Israel's and America's arms and security industries have seen profits skyrocket since 9-11 (another reason, perhaps, why Benjamin Netanyahu said 9-11 was "good for Israel").
That's why my experience has led me to finally support boycott. First I jumped in to support the boycott of settlement goods. Freeze settlements by freezing their economy. But the more I learned, including from my Israeli friends, the more I began to see that Israel's occupation is far too inextricably intertwined with the whole of Israeli society. For instance, Agrexco, the Israeli produce company, admits that they take produce grown in the illegal settlements and mix it with produce grown in Israel proper (though Israel doesn't have any borders, Israel proper generally means Israel inside the Green Line). Universities develop technologies used to enforce the occupation. The Israeli government pays many cultural venues to represent Israel favorably in their travels. They even pay people to get online and twitter specific government talking points posing as though from personal opinion only www.atlanticfreepress.com/.../10793-twitterers-paid-to-spread-israeli-propaganda-internet-warfare-team-unveiled.html
Most of the movements that made the biggest social changes for the better were pushed not by government but by people. Many credit the bds movement for ending South African apartheid. I have come to believe Israeli apartheid cannot end without it (here's a South African-led study that addresses how Israel's occupation has characteristics of both colonialism and apartheid www.hsrc.ac.za/Media_Release-378.phtml
All best, and in solidarity for justice, human rights, freedom, and security FOR ALL, Linda
If you want peace, work for justice.
"... then you deserve anything you get."
Really?
I am so glad I am Catholic
RE: Yohanna
If you reread my intial post, you'll see that no where did I claim you defamed individual BDS members by using their names. I also never judged you as a horrible person. I stated that WHAT YOU PRINTED was intellectually dishonest and morally reprehensible.
The question is whether or not you should have demanded evidence beyond the words of an individual before concluding BDS members are paid operatives. Obviously we can't be expected to verify everything before forming an opinion. However, the burden of proof is higher for going on public record by printing a story in a newspaper. My position is that it was grossly irresponsible in light of the fact that when challenged, you have no evidence other than hearsay to back up your claim. If this was all that was required, I could write a letter to the editor saying the group Stand With Us supports the removal of all Palestinians from Israel. Is that statement true? I've heard people around town say as much but I would never think of stating such a claim as fact when I have no evidence to support it.
Facts and Views
Hi,
My name is Johan, I am one of the people that Yohanna lied about in her letter to the editor in the Olympian. Yohanna, if you are reading this, I have met you once or twice outside the Co-op, and I think you may recognize my face. I do not wish to to make this more confrontative than it has to be, and it is not something that is against you as a person. But when you spread blatant lies about me and other people in our local newspaper, I feel that I need to call you out on it.
This is very simple. You wrote this in your letter to the editor:
"This effort was organized by the international Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement which currently has paid organizers in town working to achieve their ends"
You don't have any evidence to back your claim. Until you produce that evidence (which you won't, because it doesn't exist, since there are no paid organizers on this issue in Olympia) your claim will stand for what it is: a lie.
You said earlier in this thread that the quote above was your "view", and you chose to voice it in your letter. I think there might be a general confusion here when it comes to the difference between facts and views: there can not be two opinions on whether there are or are not paid organizers for BDS in Olympia. Either there are, or there are not. You stated as a fact that there were paid organizers, and you have presented nothing that would suggest that was the case.
I would like to ask of all co-op members that are discussing this issue, regardless if you support the boycott or not, that we distance ourselves from the type of slander that Yohanna is using to push her agenda in this issue, and instead agree that we can have a respectful discussion around this issue based on facts and ideas and not personal attacks.
You have a Right to your opinion
... but not your own facts.
There are no paychecks, but there are expenses.
Does the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement have paid organizers here in our town, as Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg stated as fact in The Olympian?
I wish that local organizers were getting paid for this work, but they are not. I know most of the Olympia BDS members personally and count several of them among my dearest friends. These are people who for years have volunteered vast amounts personal time and resources in active resistance to the human rights and international law violations committed by OUR OWN government as well as those of Israel, whose actions are supported by our tax dollars and given diplomatic cover by our government.
These Olympia BDS members have other personal passions which they have put on hold for years because they feel a sense of duty to address the massive crimes being committed in their names.
Rabbi Kinberg said on this thread, “I agree Israel needs to change but this is not the way.” Yet, she declines to demonstrate “the way.”
The Olympia Food Co-op’s decision to honor the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions moves beyond talk about how Israel needs to change. It is a courageous, principled action which has already had a powerful effect as it has garnered international attention.
There are no paychecks for Olympia BDS members, but there are expenses involved with this work. If you support the boycott and would like to offset some of the costs these individuals have and will continue to incur, you can donate here: https://www.donationpay.org/olympiabds/ .
And for more information, visit the Olympia BDS home page: http://www.olympiabds.org/ .
With heartfelt gratitude to the hard-working members of Olympia BDS and to the Co-op Board for adhering to the Co-op’s policies, principles and procedures for honoring internationally recognized boycotts.
Sandy Mayes
I would like to see core BDS organizors to sit down with core Te
I would like to see core BDS organizors to sit down with core Temple Hatfiloah opponents and talk it out and come to some middle ground. Perhaps, the BDS could be toned down and they can negotiate to come to a centrist position.
What do you think? Why don't they just get along?
Is this issue important enough to split our progressive green community !?