Student Unrest

News outlets are prioritizing student riots in the U.S., Canada and Europe.  Brings back some memories and forced me to examine my perspective.  One concession is that violent protests do get attention.  Even many liberals are upset, but perhaps not as much as conservatives.  I like to think I am progressive, but feel a bit pushed.

As a teenager and young adult, Israel was perceived as under assault  and doing many good things.  A little later  I became related to Muslims and had opened my mind to more information.  The more information pointed to different perspectives.  The Mid East has all my life seemed violent, but I had other priorities.

As always there have been agitators and opportunists.  Before October 7th the big news for me was the aggression of Russia against Ukraine and I was conscious of a horrible situation in Sudan.  Since then attention has been diverted to the outrages of Hamas.  Truly there have been outrages and continue to be.  In America for some reason Donald Trump, deservedly out of office stirred up political support for the Russians and tried to prevent American support for the Ukrainians.  At the same time China and Iran lent military aid to Russia.  So those true enemies of democracy were pleased that attention was diverted.  Are they evil enough and smart enough to have engineered such a diversion?  

Would they welcome student protests?  Would they want to stir things up a bit?  At this stage my suspicions have nothing to justify them.  It is well known that non students have joined the protests.  Some share the concerns, others like the disruptions for their own reasons.

Joe Biden has noted that settlers have been provoking.  He even went so far to suggest a two state solution would be a goal.  The newscasts seemed fixed on how authorities can cope with the protest violence with a few reminders that hostages are still at risk. 

A much expressed concern is anti-Semitism.  It is likely that some bigots will use this opportunity to express their bigotry while many have also expressed Islamaphobia.  Prejudice is a human trait and can be amplified under stress.  Undoubtedly anti-Semitism is part of these protests, but should not be allowed to avoid the real issues.  

On October 9th I wrote a blog and since then the situation has worsened.  My thoughts then:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/10/getting-at-roots.html

I don't know all the reasoning that has set some students at odds with authorities, but I have a few sympathetic thoughts .  There is greater awareness that Palestinians are not free.  Students are woke to the idea that Palestine is also under assault. There is distrust and fear on both sides.  The way to power has been to keep the Arabs under stiff control.  Benjamin Netanyahu is by no means the most adamant about not allowing a two state solution.  Netanyahu is a smart statesman who was able to negotiate with other parties to construct a coalition, but realizes that concessions to the Arabs could break the coalition.  I don't really understand how his corruption has created a desire for an election.  I would fear who would replace him, most likely someone even more hard line.  

The White House is conscious that some concessions need to be made for the non terrorist Arabs, but are restricted not just by legalities, but by diplomatic conventions.  Netanyahu fears what will happen when the conflict ends.  Many Israelis think the only solution is to get rid of all the Palestinians.

The protesters feel more must be done.  Sending military aid only supports abusers and will lead to unnecessary deaths.  Several years ago there was a movement to boycott Israel and a counter movement against that.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/12/the-bds-movement.html   In fact there are a lot of American investments in Israel including from universities and that is one of the tools students are wanting to use.

Hamas is the result of inaction and abuse.  They have support and power because the Palestinian cause has been ignored and abused.  Violence was integral to building Israel.  Netanyahu is using the violence to cling to power

As a student I read and was influenced by what would be considered "radical" opinions but was too locked into the status quo.  I do remember doing some minor protesting when the Chancellor of the University of Guelph, a former Premier of Ontario said something that offended our student president.  I don't remember what it was about and a year or so later I accepted my degree from this same person.  Getting a job and settling down proved more of a challenge.  I learned politics is very manipulative, but found little to do about it.

I agree hate speech should be illegal.  At the same time politicians of all sorts have been very careful to avoid speaking many truths.  Right now Trump is doing what he can to stir up hatred and complaining about how a gag order restricts his free speech.  Freedom of speech is essential, but to be successful requires open minds on all sides.

My hope is that student protests will help improve things in the long run.  Thinking back to the Vietnam War (had met one draft dodger) student protests were one factor in making Republicans realize the war should be ended. 

The BDS Movement

The BDS Movement  (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) might not have been noticed quite as much if there weren't concerted efforts to make it illegal.  The goal is for Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, removal of the barriers at the West Bank, full equality of Arabs in Israel and to promote the right of return by the Palestinian refugees.  Israel claims Arabs enjoy equality in Israel and that the movement is anti-Semitic.  Both Israel and the United States have made efforts to make the BDS illegal and use national resources to reject. 

The cause is known and for most people who consider themselves progressive liberals it is admirable enough.  Like a lot of people when I hear and believe negative things about individuals and companies I try to make a conscious decision not to support.  Other people want to take a strong stand and some of them are organizers and others looking for an organized effort.

Up until past my university years I would tell anyone who asked, that "Exodus" was my favorite movie.  I barely knew any Jews, but somehow came to admire them and how they had overcome the Holocaust.  I still grapple to understand the horror of  their ordeal.  I have watched several movies that focused on the Holocaust from many different angles.  It is horrifying to read about people who deny the Holocaust.  It not only is anti-Semitic, but also indicates rationalization (guilt feelings) for expressing hatred.

A few things happened over my adult years to change my perspective  At work I remember talking to a secretary at work about Hallowe'en.  I was telling her that I had to get home early to protect my home from tricksters.  She surprised me by saying as a born again Christian they could not celebrate Hallowe'en.  I have always considered myself secular, but Lynn was someone I liked working with and accepted her offer to read a book about Armagedden.  There seemed to be a lot of logic, but really twisting the meaning of Biblical words which I just could not accept.  But I came to understand and more frequently heard or read references to the second coming of Christ.  I kept a few details in mind such as there would be the anti-Christ who would seem to have the answers (could that be Donald Trump?), Israel would have to be run by Jews again and there was something about ten tribes that would play a role and that the true believers would ascend to heaven.

I gradually became aware of the role this belief played in American politics and other nations.  They seemed very protectionist of Israel, but at the same time saw Jews only as necessary for the prophesy.  The Palestinians were in the way and needed to be stomped down.  The fact that they resorted to terrorism only proved how undeserving they were.  Arab states and Muslims were suspect as they always seemed to be using the supposed Palestinian injustices to inflict terror on the rest of us.  Many Christians just wanted to protect the holy sites. 

The Arab oil boycott of the west was mostly seen as inconvenient.  One good thing that came out of it was a movement in part led by Jimmy Carter (who is my most admired president) who preached conservation.  Of course Ronald Reagan ridiculed the idea and reversed course.

Another factor emerged when my sister, Rebecca married a Muslim from Morocco.  She was actually married in an inter denomination ceremony.  It was over ten years and two daughters later that she decided to convert.  She is one of the people who I both love and admire.  I had come to admire Ali as well and he gave a different view of Palestinians.  He was careful not to speak against Jews and in fact pointed out to me that he would seek kosher food when halal food was not available.

My reading convinced me that the Palestinians had been taken advantage of.  While I could still admire what the Zionists had accomplished against heavy odds I began to realize they did so at the expense of the Palestinians. And the more I heard and read the more it seemed the Palestinians were being dismissed and discriminated against.  The media in my neck of the woods was almost totally picturing Palestinians as backward, dishonest, violent and undeserving.  The Israelis are pictured as besieged, but very innovative.  Perhaps there is an element of guilt from many Western countries that had allowed anti-semitism to prosper and helped set the events of the Holocaust.

After a television appearance I read a book by Peter Beinart.  It made me realize there is a lot of politics behind the support of Israel.  Check out  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/crisis-of-zionism-book-review.html

By now you realize I am sympathetic to the Palestinians, but there is more to it than that.  I am not much of a boycott participant.   I have completed two books by Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli and have started his most recent book.  He has the best understanding of what it means to be a human of any one I am familiar with.  I am not willing to give up that.  An investment counselor was recommending a mutual fund and thought one of its highlights was that they included Israeli stocks--although like anyone else I wanted to make the most money for the least risk,  passed on it.  I watched and appreciated many movies from Israel http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/05/youll-find-arabic-and-hebrew.html  particularly the ones that seemed balanced.

My experiences with boycotts are very limited.  As a Canadian one example was when Heinz decided to stop processing tomatoes from their Simcoe, Ontario plant.  I had driven through Simcoe numerous times as part of my sales job.  I remember consciously actually driving by the plant with a distinct, but not unpleasant smell of the ketchup plant.  French's, better known for mustard, picked up the slack and I have made it a point of buying their ketchup (which happens to taste pretty good).

I was too young or disinterested to think about the anti apartheid boycott.  I am proud that Canada did participate unlike United States and the United Kingdom.  Thinking what would I buy from South Africa?  Never thought of diamonds or gold.  A little later did enjoy eating Granny Smith apples and have since enjoyed South African wines, but think of them as post Mandela (one of my very favorite heroes).

If we don't want people to settle their differences with violence we have to accept alternatives.  Every person who has a dime to spend has some power.  Once they spend that money they have lost some of their power, but the choice should be theirs.  Yes, there should be exceptions--we should not be able to physically harm someone or denigrate them. 

Israel is forgetting its values.  They have suffered at the hands of degenerates, but now they are causing great suffering that to me is counter productive.  I know there are significant elements that want to bridge the gap, but they don't seem to dominate.  Hatred and ignorance are very difficult to deal with, but others have found ways

Critics are welcome to do a counter boycott if they really want, but they have absolutely no right to impose legal restrictions on people who  feel the merits of the cause.  I think what needs to happen is more effort to reconcile the Jews and Palestinians.  Biblical prophesies can be interpreted any way that suits someone else.  The Qu'ran is interpreted very widely.  To me the boycott and such efforts to encourage Israel to take a fairer treatment of the Palestinians is a worthy cause and those that want to delegitimize it are the immoral ones.  Politics and money are a big part of the problem.