Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Israeli Apartheid Week Response Kit


Israeli Apartheid Week Response Kit


Introduction
If you are reading this document, it is likely because Israeli Apartheid Week is coming to your college campus and you want to do something about it. Below you will find strategies, documents and information that will help you come up with a plan to counter IAW and move your campus towards positive, productive discourse.
Bear in mind that this is a limited document, just a starting point. Each campus is different, and IAW can manifest in many ways. Don’t forget that YOU know what’s best for YOUR campus.
If you would like more guidance, do not hesitate to contact your David Project campus coordinator. Their job is to assist you in whatever you believe is the best way to advocate for Israel.
Most importantly, don’t panic! Israeli Apartheid Week will happen no matter what any of us do about it, but for the most part it’s just anti-Israel activists preaching to their own choir. What’s important is how you frame IAW and those who demonizeIsrael to the rest of the student body. This kit will show you how.

What Was Apartheid?
Apartheid was an extreme, institutionalized system of racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Instituted by the ruling Afrikaner Nationalist Party, apartheid (literally meaning “separateness” in Afrikans) permeated all aspects of South African life, political and civil. For example, whites and blacks – including so-called “people of color” – were not allowed to marry or even engage in physical relations. However, the apartheid system went much farther in totally disenfranchising and dehumanizing every non-white person in the country. Non-whites could not vote, linger in “white areas”, or attain an education beyond an elementary level. The British and Dutch decedents, who had no indigenous claim to the region whatsoever, maintained this system through a pseudo-military state that bordered on fascism. As such, there was no real democracy in South Africa; only whites could vote or participate in civic life.

How Did Apartheid End?
The campaign against apartheid was twofold – domestic and international.
Within South Africa, political organizations opposed the apartheid regime though mostly peaceful means (there was some violence and terrorism, but this was not demonstrative of the mainstream movement). The domestic movement maintained pressure on the ruling government, sparking incidents that were widely reported upon in the international media. The domestic movement also had excellent, inspirational leadership, best demonstrated in Nelson Mandela. His guidance and emphasis on non-violence spearheaded the movement.
Internationally, a movement largely led by ex-pats and exiles, peaked in the 1980s. The purpose of the movement was to draw attention to the injustice and crimes of the apartheid government and then to apply international pressure to end it. This pressure manifested in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. The purpose of BDS was to punish the South African government with sanctions, either through official channels (the UN, federal and local governments) and unofficial channels (product and cultural boycotts).
The combination of domestic and international pressure became a huge burden on the South African government, and in 1994 the country held its first truly democratic election in which the African National Congress (ANC) party was elected with Nelson Mandela as its president.

The False Israel Analogy
So why is Israel called an apartheid state by its detractors?
Politically and culturally, Israel bears no resemblance to apartheid South Africa. All Israeli citizens, no matter their race or ethnicity, participate in the political process – they vote, serve in parliament, are judges, and can serve in the military. Indeed, one can find racism and inequality in Israel, but this is hardly any different from other western democracies; it would be complete fallacy to state that countries like the United StatesFrance, the UK or Germany do not experience racism or class inequality. Even in the West Bank and GazaIsrael’s policies have always been a direct response to a real security risk - hardly the institutionalized racism that defined apartheid South Africa.
The apartheid analogy, then, is not meant to describe the political or racial situation in Israel. Instead, it is solely used to discredit and delegitimize Israel. To call Israel an apartheid state is to say that it has no right to exist. This is an especially dangerous allegation because it is entirely anti-peace. There is nothing positive or productive about it – its success would only mean destruction.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
One of the most effective tools used against apartheid South Africa was the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS), mentioned above. The point of BDS is to apply non-governmental pressure on a state in order to affect their policies. The UN, for example, often uses sanctions or the threat of sanctions to censure states whose actions do not conform to international law. In the case of South Africa, a massive international BDS movement was a significant factor in ending apartheid. Those who propagate the Israeli apartheid analogy use this strategy against Israel with increasing frequency.
On your campus, BDS may present itself in many ways, including:

  • A movement to ban study-abroad programs to Israel
  • Disruptions and protests against talks by Israeli academics or officials on campus
  • De-shelving campaigns of Israeli products at stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods
  • Petitions or student government motions demanding that your school end all investment in Israeli companies, or companies that do business in Israel like Intel, Caterpillar and Teva.
  • Public rallies in which Israel is labeled as an apartheid state.
  • Though popular, BDS has two significant and exploitable flaws:
1) BDS pre-assumes that Israel is an apartheid state. As explained above, Israel is anything but an apartheid state. The more holes you poke in this presupposition, the less sense a BDS movement makes.
2)  BDS is overwhelmingly negative. As a rule, people do not tend to like negative campaigns. Words like ‘boycott’ and ‘divestment’ are inherently negative and therefore immediately unpopular.

Defeating BDS
These two vulnerabilities will take you a long way in defeating a BDS campaign on your campus. Below are just a few ideas of how to derail a BDS movement.
Included in this kit are templates for several “Truth Cards.” They are simple postcards that outline Israel’s excellent record in racial equality, gay rights, political inclusion and other human rights issues. Handing these out at any BDS-related event directly challenges the apartheid narrative and therefore makes BDS unnecessary and irrelevant in the eyes of a neutral passerby.
Write an op-ed to your school newspaper. In it, explain that the apartheid analogy is false and offensive. Continue by explaining that BDS is only negative and divisive to a campus environment. Finish by outlining several ways to improve the discourse about the Arab-Israeli conflict on your campus, especially ones that do not implicitly endorse the destruction of an entire state.
Start a “Buycott” campaign on your campus. Lists of Israeli-made products can be found at websites likewww.BuyIsraelGoods.org. Choose a nearby store (Trader Joe’s is always a good option), find out what Israeli products they carry, and distribute a list to friends and sympathizers. If the BDS movement attempts a de-shelving, get to the store first and purchase all of the products before they can get to them. Nothing is more frustrating to BDS supporters than to see that their efforts have increased sales of Israeli goods.
Make friends with members of the student government, or attend student government meetings. Often times, BDS campaigns use subversive techniques to sneak their initiatives through student governments. It is therefore very important to keep tabs on your student government to make sure that if this occurs, you can organize a response. If it does happen, make sure to speak to as many members as the government as possible about why BDS is wrong. Furthermore, get as many pro-Israel students as possible to attend the meeting at which BDS is debated. Almost all student governments allow the student body to make statements – make your voice heard!
Of course, these are only suggestions. Remember, you know your campus best. Contact your Campus Coordinator for more suggestions and support.

Other Apartheid Week Events
Along with BDS-related activities, there are several other events that may occur on your campus during IAW. It is important to remember that you will not convince the organizers of IAW or their supporters that they are wrong. Instead, your efforts should focus on the 90% of students in the middle who have no strong opinion either way. It is imperative that they understand that the apartheid narrative is incorrect.
1)  Apartheid Wall
Anti-Israel activists may erect an “apartheid wall” in a public place on your campus. This is meant to imitate the security barrier erected by Israel to prevent the incursion of suicide bombers into Israeli territory from the West Bank. Without context, the barrier certainly looks bad. It is your job to provide the proper context. Print out flyers with a graph such as the following:The above graph clearly demonstrates that since construction on the barrier began in 2002, suicide attacks have dropped to almost zero. Stand near the wall with these flyers and as people walk by, say “Here’s some information on why Israel needs a security barrier.” The graph should speak for itself.
2) Anti-Israel Speakers
If an anti-Israel speaker comes to your campus, the best thing you can do is attend their presentation and calmly ask challenging questions. Research the speaker before the event – find out what they talk about, where they are from, and who they have been associated with. Your Campus Coordinator can help you find this information. The more pro-Israel activists you have in the audience, the higher a percentage of questions will be in opposition to the speaker. In this manner, you will show that is there a strong alternative narrative to the one being presented.
3) Anti-Israel Films
Anti-Israel films may be screened on your campus. If this is the case, find out what film(s) will be screened and watch it beforehand to look for flaws and so that you know what to expect. Also, make sure to ask challenging questions if there is a Q&A session afterwards.
Also included in this kit are several flyers, postcards and documents that you might find helpful. Make sure to look through them all. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact your campus coordinator. We can help you with printing costs, making connections on campus, brainstorming and anything else you might need.

http://www.thedavidproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=587%3Aisraeli-apartheid-week-response-kit&catid=143&Itemid=168

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