BDS doesn’t care about tolerance

Re: The Guardian: Richard Deaton: “Tactics to silence progressive Jews” (October 31, 2017).

Mr. Deaton’s support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) is abhorrent and falls outside the Canadian consensus, where the governing Liberals, opposition Conservatives, and the NDP view it as discriminatory and counterproductive to the prospects of peace.

Consider the following words spoken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: “No, we do not support the boycott of Israel … We do not ask anyone to boycott Israel itself … we have relations with Israel. We have mutual recognition of Israel.”

The Palestinians’ own leader views BDS as antithetical to the prospects of peace as it unfairly singles Israel out for opprobrium and doesn’t advance Palestinian interests.

Keaton’s support for economic sanctions against Israel unfairly assigns blame to the Jewish state and is at odds with Canadian values, as it applies differential treatment to Israel.

BDS doesn’t care about peace, tolerance and mutual respect. BDS encourages unilateralism, discourages dialogue and reconciliation, and its efforts have only protracted the conflict. It seeks to make Israel a pariah nation and paint it as a rogue regime whose six million-plus Jews must be blacklisted and slandered.

Mike Fegelman, Executive Director, Honest Reporting Canada