We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly
supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies
that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
Go HERE for all installments of APN's "They Say, We Say"
They Say, We Say: BDS & Criticism of Israel
They Say: All BDS – whether targeted at Israel or at settlements – is anti-Israel,
anti-Semitic, and unacceptable.
We Say:It is ironic that some BDS supporters and BDS opponents share this same view that
settlements and Israel are one and the same. For those who truly care about Israel and its future, this
deliberate conflation of Israel and the settlements is outrageous. It in effect argues that those who care
about Israel (or Palestine, or both) face a binary choice – support both Israel and the settlements, or
oppose both. This is tantamount to arguing that no avenue for meaningful pro-Israel activism against the
occupation and settlements exists. Such an approach is not only wrong, but a terrible mistake. It only
feeds activism targeting Israel, bolstering those BDS activists who tell the world that settlements and
Israel are one and the same. They are wrong, and activism targeting not Israel but, instead, the
settlements and occupation, is indisputably pro-Israel and pro-peace. It is also the best answer to the BDS
movement, demonstrating to activists that there is an avenue to oppose settlements and the occupation that
is not anti-Israel (for more, see our other entries on BDS, including here).