The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Palestinian allowed to leave Israel to accept peace award
NEW HAVEN >> Omar Barghouti, a founder of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement against Israel, will be allowed to travel to New Haven to receive the Gandhi Peace Award on Sunday from the group Promoting Enduring Peace.
Barghouti’s ability to leave Israel, where he is a Palestinian permanent resident, was put in doubt after he was arrested March 20 on suspicion of evading taxes on $700,000 from his company and from speaking fees, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. He was put under house arrest.
According to a press release from Promoting Enduring Peace, a travel ban on Barghouti was temporarily lifted, allowing him to travel to the United States.
The Gandhi Peace Award is also being given to Ralph Nader of Winsted, a longtime activist on consumer, environmental and peace issues.
“We’re delighted that Omar Barghouti will be able to come to the United States to accept this well-deserved award for his leadership in the non-violent struggle for Palestinian human rights,” said Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, according to the release.
“It comes at a time when the U.S. Congress is taking up bills to deny Americans the right to boycott Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid as many had done against apartheid South Africa. Barghouti will able to give a firsthand account of life for Palestinians under draconian Israeli government rule and the exact nature of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement which he helped found.”
According to its website, the BDS Movement “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”
However, many Jews say the BDS Movement’s ultimate motive is the destruction of Israel. Judy Diamondstein, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, said. “We are very concerned about the BDS Movement and what it represents. We do believe that there needs to be two states for two people and that that will only be accomplished through direct negotiations by the parties.
“The BDS Movement, unfortunately, is a little bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It states on the one hand that its goals are this peaceable resistance by a boycott of goods from what would be the Palestinian areas or the West Bank of Israel and, unfortunately, they’re also saying out of the other side of their mouths, to quote Omar Barghouti himself, that he only believes in a one-state solution, a unitary state, where, by definition Jews will be a minority, and he believes basically in the end of Israel. So we have to stand up for the rights of Israel as a nation and its right to exist and I think that the clear objective of the BDS Movement is to cease that existence.”
The Gandhi Peace Award has been given since 1960. Recipients include Eleanor Roosevelt, labor leader Cesar Chavez and Dr. Benjamin Spock. The awards ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall at Yale University, 1 Prospect St. It is free and open to the public.