The Beneficial Side of the British Boycott

by Steven Plaut


Well the British tenured anti-Semites and the pseudo-scholars have decided to boycott Israeli universities. It remains to be seen if the mediocre British institutions of higher learning will survive this.

In any case, having thought about it a bit, I think that the British boycott of Israeli universities and academics has its POSITIVE aspects. In fact, I think we should ENCOURAGE the Brits to boycott Israeli academics, or at least SOME academics.

So to help these British boycotters, I have prepared a list of Israeli academics whom they can immediately begin boycotting:

Ilan Pappe (University of Haifa), Neve Gordon (Ben Gurion University), Oren Yiftachel (Ben Gurion University), David Newman (Ben Gurion University), Avraham Oz (University of Haifa), Anat Matar (Tel Aviv University), Anat Biletzki (Tel Aviv University), Ran HaCohen (Tel Aviv University), Moshe Zimmerman (Hebrew University), Yuval Yonay (University of Haifa), Yoav Peled (Tel Aviv University), Shlomo Sand (Tel Aviv University), Lev Grinberg (Ben Gurion University), Colman Altman (Technion, emeritus), Jacob Katriel (Technion), Ron Kuzar (University of Haifa), Yehuda Shenhav (Tel Aviv University), Kobi Snitz (Bar Ilan University), Menachem Klein (Bar Ilan University), Dan Rabinowitz (Tel Aviv University), Uri Ram (Ben Gurion University)

You can find many more names of Israeli academics who can be boycotted by the British at the web site of www.israel-academia-monitor.com!!

Jacob Bows to Esau

by Jack Engelhard

Originally I wanted this headline: “Prime Minister of Israel to Honor President of Terror.” But I figured it was too long.

The exact headline, from today’s New York Times, runs as follows: “Meeting To Take Place in Palestinian Territories.”

Can this be true? Yes, it’s true.

Miri Eisin (further from the Times) said that such a meeting between Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas, for the first time outside of Jerusalem, was “a possibility.”

Had enough? Too bad. There’s more. Like this from Eisin, who serves as Olmert’s spokeswoman:

“Miss Eisin said a meeting in Palestinian territory would be ‘a gesture of honor’ from Israel.”

That’s right – gesture of honor.

More -- you glutton for punishment? Okay, here’s the rest from Ms. Eisin: This gesture of honor would show that “this is a partnership, not a patron-client relationship.”

Isn’t that special?

Mr. Olmert is (apparently) untroubled by the deadly rockets flying into Israel from Palestinian territories. No problem.

Mr Olmert is (apparently) perfectly all right with the siege of Sderot.

As long as he’s prime minister, 1,400 rockets slamming into Israel is no big deal, just another day at the office.

Too bad about those Israelis already murdered by Kassam rockets from Palestinian territories – but the show must go on.

Anyway, Rabin already set the tone. Those dying Israelis are “sacrifices for peace.” Since Oslo, well over a thousand Israelis have been so sacrificed for this “peace.”

The killing of Israelis and the dying of Israelis continues without let-up, but Mr. Olmert thinks it’s proper to extend a “gesture of honor” to this Holocaust-denier.

Yes, Mr. Olmert is keen to demonstrate that this is a “partnership” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. That the real partnership is between Mr. Abbas’s Fatah and Hamas – both of which are desirous of destroying Israel, the same gang, the same thugs, but different names – is of no apparent consequence to Mr. Olmert.

As Israelis hide in bomb shelters, as shops are closed, schools are emptied, as Israelis shudder at every siren and flinch at every sound, as Fatah and Hamas have kept not a single promise except to cleanse Israel of Jews, as Israelis fear for their loved ones in the face of this terror, all of it coming from the Palestinian territories, Mr. Olmert approves a meeting in just such a place, with a man named Abbas who presides over it all. Indeed, such a man, such a terrorist in a suit, merits a "gesture of honor."

Is this absurd? Is this obscene?

But yes, and Jacob bowed before Esau.

Here's What I Did on Tuesday...

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

A caravan of cars set off from Modiin to Sderot on Tuesday. It took us a long time to get there, but the drive normally takes just a bit more than an hour (when you're not in a convoy....).

One hour away from us, there are thousands of Jews under enemy rocket fire. And we worry about.... what?

I experienced what it means to be in Sderot when a Kassam hits and I saw some of the destruction. I visited with an older lady and her neighbor and heard their stories from the front - the front yard, that is: you see, a Palestinian Authority rocket struck the yard in front of their building last week.

When the "Color Red" alert was sounded, we took refuge in Shoshana's dining room. There was a span of 10 seconds - who had time to get to a bomb shelter? - then the rocket slammed into the city. It sounded as if the city itself should have shook, but we only heard the very loud impact. Then the ambulances....

I got a haircut, ate a shwarma, bought some basic supplies for volunteers to distribute, and brought some food to a lady unable or unwilling to venture out to the market.

I left feeling that we had done something - something small, but at least we had not allowed Sderot to remain "over there" and "someone else's problem" in our own minds and for all with whom we share this story.
Stories from the front - the front yard, that is.


Mostly, however, I admit I felt anger - at the enemy, of course, but also at a government that allows its people to live under artillery fire for SIX YEARS and does not put an end to it. I felt frustration, knowing that the same roads we drove on to get to Sderot were plastered with bitter posters saying "Prepare for the coming of the Kassam" in the months leading up to the expulsion of the Jewish towns in Gush Katif. And, like night follows day, the number of Kassams on the western Negev tripled in 2006.

See and read more about our Modiin=Sderot trip in the form of news at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122586 and here http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122582

For those of you who live in Israel - organize your own such "soldiarity shopping convoy" to Sderot. And tell me and the media about it.

For those of you who live overseas, how about arranging a fund to help those who do make the trip down south to purchase supplies and support local Sderot businesses?