They never miss an opportunity
Those fun folk of the Palestinian Human Rights Commission are set to protest the upcoming Jerusalem Quartet concert in Auckland on 1 April : PHRC Deplores Jerusalem Quartet Support for Occupation:
What is their basis for alleging the Jerusalem Quartet support the Occupation? They won't speak about it!
This is conflating individuals with nations. One should not have to pass this kind of test in order to gain acceptance among sectors of the population. Should one boycott a Chinese cultural festival unless those involved speak out against China's occupation of Tibet? Are we to boycott a Russian pianist unless he personally voices his disapproval of Russia's policies on Chechnya? These people are, by and large, not officials of their countries' governments but individual artists who should be judged on their own terms; they should not be thought to be tainted in a way because they come from a state whose policies we may disagree with.
Then, again, the PHRC are likely to deplore and protest anything do do with Israel - so the boycott is merely an act of opportunism on their part.
The reference to Barenboim and other Jews is what director Spike Lee would call "covering one's ass" - an attempt to circumvent the accusation of anti-Semitism by invoking "other Jewish artists, authors, academics and professionals" who hate Israel. Any Jew supportive of Zionism - i.e. the majority of the world's Jews - clearly isn't worth the time of day.
I wonder whether we can now boycott visiting artists from the Palestinian territories unless they denounce the "inhuman and racist" policy of suicide bombing practised by Hamas - the ruling party - against the Israeli people?
On Saturday, April 1, for the second time in two years, the Palestine Human Rights Campaign (PHRC) will be protesting at the Auckland Town Hall against the visit of the Israeli Jerusalem Quartet, whose members support Israel’s violent military Occupation of Palestine.
What is their basis for alleging the Jerusalem Quartet support the Occupation? They won't speak about it!
PHRC had hoped that the Quartet would take a lead from the great Israeli musician, conductor Daniel Barenboim who, with other Jewish artists, authors, academics and professionals have condemned the inhuman and racist policies practised by Israel against the Palestinian people. We have twice asked the Quartet whether they would be prepared to emulate Barenboim’s courageous bridge building with the Palestinians. So far we have had no response.
This is conflating individuals with nations. One should not have to pass this kind of test in order to gain acceptance among sectors of the population. Should one boycott a Chinese cultural festival unless those involved speak out against China's occupation of Tibet? Are we to boycott a Russian pianist unless he personally voices his disapproval of Russia's policies on Chechnya? These people are, by and large, not officials of their countries' governments but individual artists who should be judged on their own terms; they should not be thought to be tainted in a way because they come from a state whose policies we may disagree with.
Then, again, the PHRC are likely to deplore and protest anything do do with Israel - so the boycott is merely an act of opportunism on their part.
The reference to Barenboim and other Jews is what director Spike Lee would call "covering one's ass" - an attempt to circumvent the accusation of anti-Semitism by invoking "other Jewish artists, authors, academics and professionals" who hate Israel. Any Jew supportive of Zionism - i.e. the majority of the world's Jews - clearly isn't worth the time of day.
I wonder whether we can now boycott visiting artists from the Palestinian territories unless they denounce the "inhuman and racist" policy of suicide bombing practised by Hamas - the ruling party - against the Israeli people?
posted by Evan at
2:14 pm
1 Comments:
Perhaps some Jews have learned from history and choose not to be "Briquettes".
By
Anonymous, at 2:59 pm
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