Teaching us how to conduct our struggle must be a tiring job

February 18, 2016 by abirkopty 3 Comments

I have few comments on Larry Derfner’s article in Haaretz:
Firstly: I found it absurd when an Israeli journalist want to teach us how to do the ‪#‎BDS‬ correct! I mean, I know you know better than us what to do with us, but bekhyat.
Secondly: It’s amazing how many Israelis (who claim to be for Palestinian rights) always resort to (and hide behind) “the concern for Palestinian labor” to argue against #BDS.
This is a demagogical and shallow argument.
The Palestinian labor rights are violated ultimately and constantly by the occupation, in so many ways. Not only their social rights are violated, the colonialist project impedes any natural- independent economic development, wants to keep Palestinians (including workers) as subordinates, and profit from that.
Palestinians are not being employed by Soda Stream (or other companies) because Soda Stream is against the occupation and wants to promote Palestinian rights or workers’ interest. They are employed because they are simply cheap labor, and because Soda Stream wants to use them as an argument to legitimize its complicity in the occupation.
It’s that and more that we are concerned for and fight against by using #BDS.
Thirdly, the argument is also propagandist: Palestinian workers should turn against their Palestinian counterparts if they lose their jobs. Blaming the occupied again. Israelis love that.
And lastly, I’m always worried about those who need to think for us, then write manuals for us and explain things to us. It must be a tiring job.

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