In a letter to Democratic mega-donor Haim Saban released today, Hillary Clinton expressed her "alarm" at the growing BDS movement and sought advice from Saban on how to combat it. She promised to stand up for Israel if she were to become president.
BDS, (Boycott Divestment & Sanctions) is a non-violent movement begun by Palestinian civil society in 2005 with the goals of restoring the rights of Palestinian refugees, Palestinians under Israeli occupation, and Palestinian citizens of Israel. The movement has some notable supporters, such as Desmond Tutu and Stephen Hawking, among many others.
She wrote, "I know you agree we need to make countering BDS a priority. I am seeking your advice on how we can work together--across party lines and with a diverse array of voices--to reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel."
Saban has already donated $2 million to Clinton's super pac, Priorities USA Action.
Saban also owns Partner Communications, an Israeli cell phone service company which profits from the Israeli occupation. It operates in the West Bank, running hundreds of communications towers and other infrastructure, much of it on privately owned land confiscated from Palestinians (a war crime under the Geneva Convention).
"From Congress and state legislature to boardrooms and classrooms, we need to engage all people of good faith," she wrote, in order to explain "why the BDS campaign is counterproductive to the pursuit of peace and harmful to Israelis and Palestinians alike."
Yes please explain, Mrs. Clinton. Please explain why a non-violent movement for human rights is harmful to Israelis and Palestinians. Please explain why Palestinians need to negotiate with the people who are occupying them. What exactly do the occupied need to concede to their occupiers?
Hillary's stance is a bit out of step with the democratic base, which has been shifting away from support for Israel. In a February Gallup poll,
less than half of Democrats — 48 percent — say they sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians when it comes to tensions in the Middle East. By contrast, 83 percent of Republicans sided with Israel. Fifty-nine percent of Independents answered similarly.
In a
March Pew poll, democrats sympathize with Israel over Palestinians by 57% to 54%. However,
liberal democrats (the base), sympathize with Palestinians over Israel 68% to 60%.
Clinton has made an interesting choice--perhaps a bit behind the times. I personally hope it backfires.
Tue Jul 07, 2015 at 8:50 AM PT: I've added Clinton's letter to the diary.