No off-key, gender benders today. Just a couple of interesting news items.
First, there’s this from Australia:
THE Palestinian ambassador to Australia has condemned attacks by activists on Israeli businesses and thrown his support behind a controversial visit to the University of Sydney next week by Israeli academics.
Izzat Abdulhadi, head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, said yesterday he did not support a full-scale boycotts, divestment and sanctions campaign designed to isolate and delegitimise Israel, and was scathing about recent BDS-inspired protests outside the Max Brenner chain of shops, which are Israeli-owned. “BDS is a non-violent process and I don’t think it’s the right of anybody to use BDS as a violent action or to prevent people from buying from any place,” Mr Abdulhadi said of the Max Brenner protests, which have occasionally turned violent.
“(The BDS) is also sensitive to the Jewish people (because) in 1937 their businesses in Europe were boycotted.”
…Mr Abdulhadi said he favoured a limited boycott of goods produced in Israeli settlements on the West Bank, because those settlements harmed the establishment of a Palestinian economy.
“Our objective is to build our own state, not to delegitimise any other state,” he said.
“We recognise Israel.”
Mr Abdulhadi opposed calls for the cancellation of the Israel Research Forum, due to be held at the University of Sydney next Monday, at which local experts will exchange ideas with Israeli leaders in fields including neuroscience and tissue regeneration.
He noted a similar exchange with Arab scholars was scheduled at the university for next year.
“This is Sydney University’s decision and we support that position, but it should be even-handed and there is another forum next year allowing all parties to present their own views and not to be biased to one side,” he said.
The Australian revealed yesterday that Jake Lynch, the head of the university’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, had written to deputy vice-chancellor John Hearn calling for the forum to be scrapped because, he said, it was a PR exercise for Israel, did not include any Palestinian representation, included institutions linked to Israel’s military and would turn off Muslim students.
Mr Abdulhadi said this was not the official Palestinian position. “We encourage professional co-operation between Palestine, Australia and Israel,” he said.
“This is my message to Australians. We don’t mind this close friendship with Israel. It’s a plus for us Palestinians, as it means Australia can play an even-handed and balanced role between the two parties and challenge Israel on certain issues of international law.”
And there’s this from Israel:
85% of Palestinian residents in the West Bank are interested in cooperation with Israel, according to a survey by Geocartography Knowledge ahead of the regional cooperation conference, chaired by Minister of Galilee and Negev Development Silvan Shalom.
The survey examined Palestinian attitudes about cooperation with Israel. It found that as Palestinians’ geographical proximity and familiarity with Israel increased, there was greater willingness to cooperate, and vice versa.
The survey asked 1,000 people living between Jenin and Hebron whether they were interested in joint projects with Israel in several fields, including humanitarian aid, emergencies (such as rescue teams in case of fires or earthquakes), sewage, water, and electricity, as well as social issues, such as exchanges of youth delegations and soccer games.
In other words, there are many palestinians who oppose the BDS-holes, their tactics and their goals.
Not that I think this will make a difference. I suspect the BDS-holes hate Israel – not to mention working – so much, we’ll be seeing them in their off-key flash mobs for some time to come.
Previously on Israellycool: Palestinian Ambassador To South Africa Admits BDS-Holes Oppose Peace
