Why Boycotting and Calling for the End of Occupation is Counter-Productive
I am so tired, so very tired of people who view themselves as “do-gooders,” advancing actions that only make the slim chance of reaching peace with the Palestinians in my lifetime even slimmer. Yesterday’s announcement by Ben & Jerry’s declaring their intention to cease selling their ice cream in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — or as they call it, “the occupied territories,” is another one of these counterproductive actions.
I’m 66 years old, and my life has been defined by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My first political act was participation in my 7th-grade class trip to Washington, DC to to attend a rally in support Israel during the Six-Day War. As an IDF soldier, I have patrolled the Casbah of Nablus, as well as the roads of the villages of Gaza. When I did so, half a lifetime ago, I understood how bad occupying the territories was for Israel. It is impossible to have a good occupation, and the occupation itself is a curse on Israeli society.
I have lived through the hope and optimism of Oslo, and the tragedy of having our Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin assassinated by a Jewish fundamentalist, who believed God gave the entire Land of Israel to the Jewish people, territory man has no right to divide. When Prime Minister Ehud Barak tried to reach a final agreement, I held my breath— only to watch in horror as it literally blew up in our faces, after Arafat decided he could not achieve his goals through negotiations. I was on the phone with my daughter as a Cafe across the street blew up, killing seven and wounding 50. I can remember driving during that period, avoiding getting too close to a bus, lest it blow up right next to me.
I supported Arik Sharon's unilateral pullout from Gaza. I believed it was an experiment worth an attempt, and that continued control of Gaza was not worth the cost. However, most of all, I believed if we pulled out, and missiles were nevertheless still fired at us from there, we could level all of Gaza. Of course, in reality, when missiles are fired at us from Gaza now and we respond, if one civilian in Gaza dies, we are accused of committing war crimes.
Two months ago, I stood in one of the central public squares in Tel Aviv, just a few blocks from my house, as the air raid sirens went off. What followed was a pyrotechnic display, with dozens of rockets from Gaza raced through the sky, intended to cause harm to me, and the city I love. Dozens of missiles were fired by the IDF to intercept these missiles before they could wreak havoc.
We are no longer in Gaza. We pulled out unilaterally and completely, in 2005. Yet, thousands of rockets are fired at us each year … and somehow, much of the world protests our actions. People seem thoroughly uninterested in who fired missiles, and who started the war. They feel that we are the stronger party, and therefore, we must be wrong.
This brings me back to Ben & Jerry’s statement yesterday. I cannot express a view on whether boycott of West Bank Jewish residents is legitimate or not. Thanks to the occupation, our imperfect democracy is even more imperfect, as it is illegal for an Israeli to call for a boycott of territories. As a result, Ayman Odeh, Head of the Joint Arab List, responded to the boycott by showing himself with Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, saying, “I had to end his diet”.
However, what I can say is that & Jerry’s declaration is self-defeating. This move will not bring peace; it will only strengthen extremists on each side. The Palestinians will say, “We do not have to make any fundamental concessions; we will let the world pressure Israel,” and the right-wing in Israel will only be strengthened, and will assert, “See, the whole world is against us, the whole world is antisemitic.”
And all the well-meaning people make it worse. In response to Ben & Jerry’s announcement, the head of JStreet, Jeremy Ben Ami, tweeted: "Instead of demonizing and attacking companies and individuals making principled decisions about how to interact financially with the occupation, these leaders would make a greater contribution to the fight against antisemitism, by helping end the unjust and harmful occupation."
Please, Jeremy, how do we end the occupation? We agree. The occupation is a terrible thing. But how do we end it and ensure the security of our country? I am sure you consider yourself principled and claim to be pro-Israel, just not pro-occupation. But perhaps ending the occupation is not in our hands. Perhaps the pressure needs to be placed on the other side.
A few years ago, I spoke to Ehud Barak about his negotiations with Arafat at Camp David and asked him whether he thought he had made a sufficiently generous offer. Barak replied, “Do you think if I had offered another 5% of the West Bank Arafat would have accepted?” Moreover, Barak reminded me that Arafat did not accept President Clinton's even more generous proposal a few months later.
To this day, there has been no Palestinian counter-offer — not to Barak’s plan, and not to Ehud Olmert’s. So, whose fault is it that we still have to send young soldiers to man checkpoints throughout the West Bank? Whose fault is it that Gaza, instead of being a Palestinian Singapore, is an impoverished strip of dirt, that spends much of its money building underground tunnels and missiles?
I am tired, so very tired. When I was a young soldier, I met a fellow soldier whose father had fought in the 1948 War of Independence. I vowed to do my best to ensure my children would not have to serve. It is long past that day. I have a six-year-old grandchild. Will he have to serve, as well?
There is much we can do to make to improve the daily life of Palestinians in the West Bank, and we should absolutely do so. However, occupation is an ugly business, regardless of the intentions. We should certainly end the occupation. The only problem is I have no idea how to do so.
To all our well-wishers abroad, if you care about Israel, work to improve the lives of the Palestinians, while making it clear the onus is on them to respond to the many peace offers that have been put forward. Just once, make a counteroffer, and maybe there will be a chance. Sadly, I am not optimistic.
