After FIFA bid, BDS fears take hold

Though the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has been around for quite some time, the Hebrew papers on Monday are seized with sudden panic about its gains, terming it an “existential threat” to the State of Israel.

Yedioth Ahronoth leads with a two-page spread on the rise of BDS, featuring a map of the world and the various places where the movement is taking hold.

“The series of legal victories [against BDS] may create a false impression, because the BDS movement is winning the battle for the hearts and minds,” the paper’s Ben Dror Yemini writes. “Those who claim BDS hasn’t affected the Israeli economy are right. For now. The problem is that BDS is fighting for the hearts and minds: on campuses, in workers unions, and in the media. It has made troubling gains… The support for Israel in the US is at its peak. But it’s an illusion.”

Yemini also slams Peter Beinart and the “Breaking the Silence” NGO for “demonizing Israel.”

“When a representative of Breaking the Silence attends BDS events, it is no longer criticism. It is demonization. When Peter Beinart, one of the leaders of left-wing Jewry in the US, who defines himself as Zionist and Orthodox, remarks on Lag BaOmer 2014 that Jews carried out a pogrom against the Palestinians, he is not criticizing. It’s a blood libel.”

What makes BDS “impressive,” he writes, “is that its discourse is about rights, but in practice it deals with undermining Israel’s right to exist.”

He likens the BDS movement to Nazism, saying “nearly everything the Nazis said about the Jews, BDS supporters say today about Israel,” and urges Israelis – both left-wing and right-wing – to join the anti-BDS movement.

“The Yedioth Ahronoth paper is also joining the war, and will publish a number of revelations and articles in the coming weeks and months,” he writes.

Veteran columnist Nahum Barnea, writing about the failed Palestinian FIFA bid, similarly sounds the alarm about waning international support.

“Netanyahu is right when he says the Palestinians are not only questioning the occupation but the very existence of Israel,” he writes. “But our problem on this issue is not the Palestinians but a large part of Israel’s friends in the West. From one point to another, from one vote to another, it’s harder for them – politically and morally – to defend Israel’s policies in the West Bank. Rajoub can be deterred – there are ways. But so long as we haven’t won over the rest of the world there is a problem.”

Over in Israel Hayom, the daily spotlights Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about the steady climb in international pressure. “We are in the midst of a huge fight against the State of Israel, an international campaign to tarnish its reputation.”

“This is a campaign of delegitimization against Israel, rooted in something deeper which is targeting us, and trying to undercut our right to be here.”

The prime minister says he is under no illusions that efforts like the FIFA bid will come up again, and maintains Israel will defend “the truth, not merely our truth, but the truth.”

Meanwhile, the papers also focus on a series of legislative measures in the works – harsher penalties for rock-throwers, stripping Palestinian prisoners of cell phone access, the army’s easing up on prosecuting troops for recreational drug use, and Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman’s move to return fluoride to Israel’s tap water.

Haaretz deals extensively with the last two issues.

With regard to the army, it reports: “Army policies regarding consumption of light drugs are being reevaluated, with an eye toward softening them, by military prosecutors. Particular attention is being given to light drugs consumed off base. Haaretz has learned that the possibility of softening army attitudes toward soldiers who are caught using light drugs on a one-time basis in civilian settings is being considered. Prevailing opinion is that such cases should no longer be automatically and indiscriminately transferred to military courts for prosecution.”

As for the fluoride, the paper notes that the issue is part of a longstanding debate, with dentists arguing that cutting the mandatory fluoridation will have negative effects on children’s teeth, particularly among families of lower socioeconomic status. On the other hand, some doctors argue that fluoridation could have adverse health risks, including heightening cancer risks. Only Ireland and Israel have mandatory fluoridation in all of its water supply, it notes.

The paper notes that although Litzman has only held the position for two weeks, “he is back in full force,” advancing a series of health reforms – including minimizing the wait time for an MRI, advancing dental care — appointing new officials, and holding snap inspections at various hospitals.