An Israeli for BDS… and more where he came from
Jun 28, 2009 Trip | Author: Hannah
We met today with Kobi Snitz, an Israeli academic who is involved in Anarchists Against the Wall and is also (more pertinently to our delegation) involved in BDS work, particularly around the academic boycott. What was maybe the most unique and useful about our meeting with Kobi was to see the humility that he has as an Israeli in the movement. He and his group (soon to launch a website and official campaign!) are very aware of the ways in which Israelis can take over movements that are and should be Palestinian led. For this reason, their principles are basically centered around supporting the Palestinian civil society BDS call in full. They would not, for example, support the demand about an end to occupation without supporting the demand for right of return, or for equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel. Kobi responded to most questions by giving the official BNC line, and when he wasn’t sure about a particular question, he suggested we talk to Omar Barghouti (from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) about it. We plan to do so on Thursday.
Kobi’s group mostly wants to be a support for the Palestinian movement and for those in the global BDS movement (like us perhaps) who could use their information and endorsements in our campaigns. They will write letters to artists and academics who plan to visit Israel, asking them not to do so. And they will work with Israelis to figure out what role these people from within can have in the movement. It has been inspiring to see him and several other Israelis we have been speaking to actually reflect upon their role and come to positions that should be expected of progressive Israelis, but that we unfortunately rarely find.
Leave a Reply