Orange is the new black

Despite the fact that boycotts of Israel have been going on for years, protestations in the Jewish state have generally simmered on a pretty low flame. But as the world learned this week, when you start to talk about taking away Israelis’ soccer and cellphones, the fight is on.

The announcement by the CEO of cellphone mammoth Orange that he would pull out of Israel tomorrow if he could sends the press back into a BDS frenzy Thursday morning, overshadowing an actual declared boycott by all of Britain’s university students earlier this week and matching last week’s furor surrounding the abortive Palestinian attempt to boot Israel from world soccer body FIFA.

“The black side of Orange,” screams out the front page of tabloid Yedioth Ahronoth, while Israel Hayom declares that “Orange is no partner,” a double entendre based on the name of local Orange franchisee Partner Communications.

Beneath the puns, though, lie real concerns over the news, which notches the latest win in a string of victories for the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, may its name be obliterated.

Ynet compares the international atmosphere to the Arab boycott of the 1970s, noting that the comments by CEO Stephane Richard were designed to stave off a threatened boycott of Egypt’s Orange franchisee Mobinil. It also reports that Orange technically has no business in Israel, beyond licensing its name for Partner to use.

The paper quotes Israeli industrialist Haim Saban, who owns Partner, as rebuffing Richard’s comments. “Threats don’t scare me. I will continue to work in Israel and to lead the global fight for Israel,” he says with the confidence of a man backed by all the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

But despite the steadfast support of space traveling teenage superheroes in color coded spandex, the paper’s Ben Dror Yemini is still plenty worried about a world that allows the British students, and now Orange, to consider hanging up on Israel.

“The Orange CEO would not have expressed support for a boycott on Israel without the atmosphere that propaganda lies have successfully created. This is an atmosphere and disease that threatens not only Britain, but the entire free world,” he writes. “Another well-regarded school, the London School of Economics and Politics, recently decided to recognize the Islamic University of Gaza as a partner. This despite the fact that some of the heads of the university have said wiping out the Jews is an imperative.”

But have no fear, lovers of Zion. Israel Hayom reports on a new initiative spearheaded by Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan to fight the BDS scourge with the flaming sword of bureaucracy.

“According to the plan, every government ministry will appoint one person from its ranks who will be responsible for the boycott threats on Israel regarding their field, and the Strategic Affairs Ministry will concentrate on the threats and teach ways to stop the initiative,” the paper reports

Commentator Dror Eydar takes heart that at the end of the day the BDS movement will fail the same way other threats against the Jewish people have, though he fails to mention what food we will feast on when marking the glorious occasion in the future. (Perhaps a BDS – Beef and Duck Sandwich?)

“Israel needed to deal seriously with these groups a decade ago, through legislation and the courts, public advocacy, the media and diplomacy. We hope that now we won’t shrink from the subject. Until a few years ago we stood nonplussed against rocket attacks, but when we decided to stand up – we knew how to fix almost completely the problem on the home front, the country’s Achilles heel,” he writes. “Boycott and divestment groups are no less of a threat. … And in war, you need to plan accordingly, to identify the map of risks and to meet the threat. Quietly and not with a hubbub, smartly and without hysterics, patiently we will win.”

Interestingly, neither of the papers give much quarter to the reason these groups might want to pressure Israel (hint: it starts with a O and ends with ccupation of land Palestinians want for a state for the last 40-odd years). In Haaretz though, everyone’s favorite curmudgeon Gideon Levy swipes at the issue from the side, with a screed against the Israeli policy of “hasbara,” translated as either public advocacy or propaganda, depending on how much you like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel, he writes, cannot simply explain away the Palestinian issue.

“The policy of denial and disconnection from reality is rising to a dangerous level, and the illness is getting worse. When the world starts to show encouraging signs of stirring to action, Israel further entrenches itself in its imaginary reality and erects more and more separation barriers for itself,” he writes. “Just give them enough funding and hasbara tools and they’ll explain to the world how wrong it is and how right the state of the Jews, who have no other country. A convention in Las Vegas, some brainstorming in Jerusalem, and the world will change its attitude.”

Hezbollah up Shiite creek

 

Brainstorming is one tack, though victimhood can’t hurt either, and Israel got a bit more ammo in that department Wednesday night. While CEOs were throwing down threats and Israel was slinging bows and arrows of indignation, some Gazans decided to up the ante by shooting some actual rockets Wednesday night, marking the second incident of rocket fire in as many weeks.

Yedioth reports that despite the rocket fire, the army still assesses that the situation in the south is ”relatively calm.”

That assurance is not enough for some, though, including Sdot Negev Regional Council head Tamir Idan, who calls for the army to take action.

“We are at the start of summer and once again find ourselves dealing with sirens and rockets falling on our land,” he tells the paper. “We demand the army and the state respond forcefully to every incident of fire, to guard the security of the Gaza border region and the whole south to allow our kids an enjoyable summer.”

While rockets were falling in the south though, reporters’ eyes were gazing north, after an army briefing in which a top officer speaking on background laid out the army’s assessments for Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

Haaretz reports that the army thinks Hezbollah is up Shiite creek without a paddle, bogged down in a series of regional conflicts.

“Between 6,000 and 8,000 Hezbollah fighters have been deployed in Syria, and Hezbollah has also sent advisers to Yemen,” the paper reports, citing the top officer, who goes on to say that the situation has called into question Hezbollah’s image as the “defender of Lebanon.”