Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Features
  • Comment
  • Store
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Arab Radio Podcast intro
    • Radio Baladi Detroit
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Toggle search form
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, unveils a series of multi language videos to help property tax owners recover overpayments. This one is in Arabic
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments American Arabs
  • Amnesty International ... www.Amnesty.org
    Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster American Arabs
  • Anti-Arab anti-peace U.S. Senator Robert Menendez who has led the fight to censor American who criticize the brutality and human rights violations of Israel
    Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League American Arabs
  • property tax info event
    Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community Activism
  • US Border Notice. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    AHRC Holds Another “Meet, Greet & Open Conversation” Forum Hosting the US Border Patrol (CBP): Human Rights
  • Ald. Raymond Lopez and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas receive the American Arab Chamber of Commerce 2021 Action Award from Hassan Nijem for their support of the Arab and Muslim American community,
    County Treasurer Maria Pappas celebrates Arab Heritage Month with business and community leaders Activism
  • Congresswoman Debbie Dingell Wikipedia
    Dingell, Tlaib Introduce Resolution Recognizing Eid al-Fitr Christian & Muslim
  • Ziyad Food item
    Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan  American Arabs
  • Vote Yes campaign button, Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Low Arab early voting turnout in important Orland Park elections American Arabs
  • Aziz Shihab, long time Arab American journalist and author.
    A memorial to a great Arab American Journalist, Aziz Shihab American Arabs
  • Piotr Hofmanski, president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague
    International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin Civil Rights
  • Orand First Responders candidates Matthew G. Rafferty and William Bonnar Jr.
    Arab Democrats endorse Rafferty and Bonnar in Orland Fire District race American Arabs
  • Paul Vallas addressing the Arab American Democratic Club on Feb. 12, 2023
    AADC releases its endorsements for the April 4, 2023 non-partisan elections American Arabs
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12 American Arabs
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC’s Humanitarian Mission to Lebanon American Arabs
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (first from left), U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (second from left), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (third from left), and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George C. Mitchell (fourth from left) chat after their meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on September 14, 2010. Department photo/ Public Domain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BDS means different things to different people

Posted on June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 By rayhanania No Comments on BDS means different things to different people
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Loading

The BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) is a legitimate non-violent form of protest that most Israelis and American Jews should support. But the BDS movement itself is not defined and waffles between an extreme rejection of everything Israeli that calls for turning back the clock to 1948, to a focused campaign that targets Israeli extremist, from the settler fanatics to Israel’s growing anti-Peace government and institutions. But both sides are fighting hard to prevent an open dialogue of what it is, what it needs to be, and how it can be more effective in non-violently fighting for peace

The Battle for Israel-Palestine peace needs real commitment

By Ray Hanania

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (fir...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (first from left), U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (second from left), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (third from left), and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George C. Mitchell (fourth from left) chat after their meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on September 14, 2010. Department photo/ Public Domain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s too easy to get angry if you are Israeli or Palestinian, maybe more so for Palestinians because they are on the daily receiving end of Israel’s extremist government brutality.

But that doesn’t mean we have to always be so angry because anger and emotion don’t really change things, although they do tend to reinforce the status quo and even make it worse.

Core principles in this theory of breaking-out of the negative spiraling collapse of peace and the rising crescendo of anger and hatred is the growing support for non-violent measures to protest against the anti-peace policies of the extremist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu and his extremist government feed on the anger that their policies create, and the bullying that Israel’s extremist supporters direct at those who demand justice.

The truth is that the more angry Palestinians get with Israel’s extremism, the more we strengthen Israel’s extremism, and undermine the moderate movement in Israel and in Palestine. Those moderates are slowly disappearing in the face of rising anger-activism.

Two issues are at the heart of this new debate, the BDS movement and the rising opposition to “normalization.”

These are not simple issues to understand and much of the public has lost sight of the fact that both movements are derivatives of the shift away from violence towards non-violence. A great resource to understand the BDS Movement is at this website www.bdsmovement.net. The site helps define what BDS is important

Yes, people forget that the BDS movement – Boycott, Divest and Sanction – is a non-violent response to Israeli policies that seek to undermine peace and compromise Palestinian rights.

bdsmovementwebsite
Very informative Website of the BDS movement http://www.bdsmovement.net/

Israelis opposed to BDs focus on the fact that many BDS advocates do not target their anger at just the illegal settlement movement, or Israel’s military policies of brutality, the Israeli prison Gulag system or the discrimination against Christians and Muslims, but instead broadly direct the protests against Israel as a “Jewish State.”

That’s caused me issues with my community because while I support a targeted BDS campaign against extremism in Israel and its government, and against anything related to the terrorist settler movement in the Occupied Territories, I don’t believe it should be focused across the board and against all things Israel.

When I explain that many extremist Arabs start beating the drums of hatred attacking me as “the Palestinian Zionist,” a contradiction that is also wildly inaccurate. Supporting peace based on Two-States doesn’t make you a “Palestinian Zionist” and it doesn’t make you a terrorist sympathizer, either.

But the extremists on the Palestinian Side share the same goals as the extremists on the Israeli side. They both want to prevent peace and increase the violence believing that more violence reinforces the status quo. Fanatics in Israel love the current situation of off-and-on-again violence because it allows them to reject land concessions.

The Palestine-Israel conflict is all about land ownership, sharing and living together.

Extremists on the Palestinian Side know that peace would put them out of business, and the unemployment line is so abhorrent to them that they would rather continue to see Palestinian suffering and oppression because it means they will continue to have jobs, and a livelihood of endless funding they otherwise could not receive through their own lack of merits and talent.

But these extremists on both sides are the minority. The failure of the peace process gives them control of the entire field of activism, though, because moderates are pushed aside and the larger, general publics of Israelis and Palestinians have no place left to turn except to respond with emotion and anger to the hate-rhetoric that dominates the extremist narrative.

It’s a lot like the anti-Normalization movement, too. Normalization is an exaggerated notion that there is something wrong with human beings engaging each other to bring about an end to the growing conflict.

It thrives on hatred and emotion. If you are a Palestinian and not 100 percent opposed to normalization, you are demonized by the extremist demons who again thrive on hate and emotions and suffering.

I believe in a normalization that distinguishes between the good and the bad, something the fanatics don’t want you to do. They want you to see the good like the bad, and therefore hate all Jews, hate all Israelis and hate everyone who supports Israel. That feeds their agenda. Israelis extremists are no different.

But I believe that the majority of Israelis are good people. They simply lack confidence in peace and because they are in control, they can pretend to have normal lives while closing their eyes to the everyday oppression that their government inflicts unjustly on Palestinian civilians.

Israel does practice a bastardized form of Apartheid. It’s not 100 percent Apartheid, but when you discriminate on the basis of race and religion, and create two separate policies on how the different groups are treated, with one group “superior” to the other, that is a form of Apartheid.

It happens in Israeli society, mainly driven by growing extremism in Israel’s government. But the truth is, Israel is not an Apartheid-State, but it is Apartheid-like.

Somewhere in between these two extremist sides in Palestine and Israel is a future of coexistence, sharing, compromise and survival for both Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians.

As difficult as it is to resist the gut wrenching trauma caused by the continuous, and discouraging daily abuses and death, Palestinians and Israelis need to try hard to control heir emotions.

It’s not wrong to be angry when children are killed. It’s not wrong to oppose fanaticism and speak out forcefully against policies that are wrong, racist and discriminatory.

But it is wrong to direct your anger and emotions at entire societies just to make yourself feel better.

I can be angry at Israel’s discriminatory policies or the violence of Palestinian extremists. But I should not use that as a means of discrediting the only solution which is peace based on Two-States.

It’s easy to be angry, hateful and mean in the Palestine-Israel conflict. It takes courage and strength to do the right thing.

Clearly, these are not times where moderates rule the debate. But circumstances shift like Middle East sands and moderates should be ready to reactivate the peace process. One step will be to properly define BDS and the issue of “normalization.”

Ray Hanania is an award-winning Palestinian American columnist managing editor of The Arab Daily News at www.TheArabDailyNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @RayHanania. To find out more about Ray Hanania and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
rayhanania
rayhanania
Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News
RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
rayhanania
Latest posts by rayhanania (see all)
  • Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president - June 1, 2023
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments - May 18, 2023
  • Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster - May 10, 2023

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Israel, Palestine & Jordan, Ray Hanania

Post navigation

Previous Post: AHRC supports prisoners in commemoration of Ramadan
Next Post: ZOA hypocrite Klein blasts Lufthansa for bias

Related Posts

  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    Time to ditch the spoils system, our elected officials need to be more inclusive Bloggers
  • AHRC Celebrates Black History Month American Arabs
  • Everyday Items reflect stereotypes of “Them”  American Arabs
  • Palestinian Film “The Wanted 18” speaks to Israeli occupation American Arabs
  • Protest draws thousands on US Complicity in Gaza War, March on Hewlett-Packard Conference Activism
  • Night shot of the Israeli supreme court building in Jerusalem which provides two sets of justice, one for Jews and one for non-Jews inside Israel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    US Embassy setback for peace Jewish, Arab peace groups argue Arab World

More Related Articles

Obama, Kerry mourn murdered journalist James Foley News
US secretary of Defense, Ash Carter met secretly with Saudi and Houthi officials in Amman Ali Younes
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Fighting oppressive taxes in Cook County Activism
Abu Kebir Israeli Detention Center Prison. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Israel denies rights to Palestinian dissident jailed for 20 months Arab World
Mr. Trump Fuels Jane Fonda and Standing Rock Activists #NoDAPL #BANKEXIT#PussyPower #ThisAmerican American Arabs
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump press conference Wednesday Feb. 15, 2017 at the White House East Room. Photo courtesy of the White House Americans for Peace Now criticizes Netanyahu attack on New Israel Fund Activism

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Ghassan Rubeiz
    Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president
    June 1, 2023
  • Hezbollah billboards in Lebanon celebrate Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah and the righteous war against Israeli extremism and fanaticism. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Who will choose the next Lebanese President?
    May 12, 2023
  • The term Arab will be meaningless if we don’t stand behind it and choose “MENA” instead
    April 29, 2023
  • IDF soldiers and Israeli settlers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    Ending Israel’s occupation might save its democracy
    April 26, 2023
  • 300x300-ZIYAD02.jpg
  • 300x300-ZIYAD01.jpg
  • NEWS
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, unveils a series of multi language videos to help property tax owners recover overpayments. This one is in Arabic
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments
    May 18, 2023
  • Amnesty International ... www.Amnesty.org
    Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster
    May 10, 2023
  • Anti-Arab anti-peace U.S. Senator Robert Menendez who has led the fight to censor American who criticize the brutality and human rights violations of Israel
    Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League
    May 10, 2023
  • property tax info event
    Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community
    May 5, 2023
  • NEWSWIRE
  • Anti-Arab anti-peace U.S. Senator Robert Menendez who has led the fight to censor American who criticize the brutality and human rights violations of Israel
    Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League
    May 10, 2023
  • US Border Notice. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    AHRC Holds Another “Meet, Greet & Open Conversation” Forum Hosting the US Border Patrol (CBP):
    May 2, 2023
  • Ald. Raymond Lopez and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas receive the American Arab Chamber of Commerce 2021 Action Award from Hassan Nijem for their support of the Arab and Muslim American community,
    County Treasurer Maria Pappas celebrates Arab Heritage Month with business and community leaders
    April 27, 2023
  • Ziyad Food item
    Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan 
    April 4, 2023

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

POPULAR POSTS

  • Who will choose the next Lebanese President? Who will choose the next Lebanese President? By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Since September of last year the Lebanese parliament has ... posted on May 12, 2023
  • Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi will host a ... posted on May 5, 2023
  • Arab-American influencers Furrha Family share secrets of their success Arab-American influencers Furrha Family share secrets of their success Salem Furrha and his eight children @theFurrhaFamily on TikTok and Instagram represent ... posted on February 6, 2021
  • Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and ... posted on May 10, 2023
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas ... posted on May 18, 2023
  • Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan  Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan  Ramadan is an important month-long religious observance for Muslims who observe it by fasting ... posted on April 4, 2023

Recent Posts

  • Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments
  • Who will choose the next Lebanese President?
  • Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster
  • Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Glory to God int he Lowest by Author Rev. Donald Wagner
    Book Review: Glory to God in the Lowest: journeys to an unholy land
    February 18, 2023
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Ziyad Food item
    Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan 
    April 4, 2023
  • Hussam al-Mayman, The Mayman Show, podcast Arab News
    Arab News launches third season of The Mayman Show podcast
    December 15, 2022
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • Comedian Ramy Youssef courtesy of his Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ramysfaceboo/
    “Ramy” cable series melds Arab world reality with every day American life
    October 22, 2022
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at Gab.com, MeWe.com and IDobbinate.com, the alternatives to Facebook and Twitter Censorship.

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2023 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme