BDS, Jerusalem & myopic policy makers

In 1988, our agency began to interview American citizens whose children were born in Jerusalem who faced an absurd situation where  the US consulate in Jerusalem  and the US embassy refused to register them as if they had been born in Israel.

For years, we asked groups that work for Israel to press the issue of the US recognizing Jerusalem as part of Israel.

Instead, we heard the usual demand from Israel advocacy groups for the US to move the US  embassy to Jerusalem, leaving most Americans and most Israelis with the impression that the only issue at hand was the positioning of the US Embassy.

However, the passion of the US position that Jerusalem is NOT part of Israel emerged at the US Supreme Court decision last week, leaving  people surprised who should not have been surprised. The passion was grossly underestimated.

With a new US presidential campaign in the offing, it will be instructive to see if Israel advocacy groups will repeat the mistake of asking US politicians for a “symbolic” move of the US embassy to Jerusalem instead of demanding a policy change, to recognize Jerusalem as a part of Israel.

All this would mean that the US would finally have to change the 1948 UN policy decision reach which defined Jerusalem as an international zone under US trusteeship, and extraterritorial to Israel.

The US State Department went so far as to appoint its own governor of Jerusalem.  The assassination of the UN envoy to Jerusalem in September 1948 suspended that process, but did not cancel that policy.

Now, perhaps, our voice in the wilderness will be heeded. 
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Also in 1988, our agency reported that the PLO, in the first year of the Intifada insurrection, joined forces with the Arab League to reinvigorate the Arab League Boycott of Israel.  

However, sources in the Israeli government expressed total confidence that the Madrid process of 1991 and the Oslo process of 1993 would mitigate against active PLO involvement in any such continued boycott of Israel. 

Indeed, one of the clauses of the Oslo “declaration of principles” was that the PLO would cancel its participation in the Arab League Boycott of Israel.

However, as our agency has continuously reported for more than twenty years, the PLO never ratified the Oslo “declaration of principles”. 

The PLO is  therefore under no obligation to cancel its participation in the Arab League boycott.

The fact that the BDS web site clearly states that the PLO and its “Palestinian Civil Society” remain fully responsible for the BDS boycott campaign has totally escaped public awareness. Too many people are surprised to learn that the same  PA which receives tax returns from Israeli government turns the funds around to run  BDS.

Now, perhaps, our voice in the wilderness will be heeded.

Please peruse: http://israelbehindthenews.com/cut-off-bds-at-the-spigot/13207/