Thank You Thomas Friedman

Thomas Friedman wrote a good column for the New York Times about Britain’s University and College Union decision to call on its members to boycott Israel. Friedman’s main point: the decision, or call, to boycott Israel is based on bias. To be more precise, on anti-Semitism.

As Friedman explains, the situation in Israel is far more complicated than the anti-Zionists like to portray it. Many Israelis believe, according to Friedman, that the decision to occupy Gaza and the West Bank was a (big) mistake. This is why the majority of them supporter Ariel Sharon when he decided to withdraw from Gaza and this is why the Israeli people elected Ehud Olmert to succeed him.

Olmert had plans to withdraw from the West Bank – Olmert wanted to destroy / abandon settlements, because he considers those settlements to be unjust. However, after Israel left Gaza, Palestinian terrorists used Gaza as some kind of base to fire rockets at Israel from, and this on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Arab Israelis receive degrees on Israeli Universities, not hindered by any discrimination.

Friedman concludes:

If the far-left academics driving this boycott actually cared about Palestinians they would call on every British university to accept 20 Palestinian students on full scholarships to help them with what they need most — building the skills to run a modern state and economy. And they would call on every British university to dispatch visiting professors to every Palestinian university to help upgrade their academic offerings. And they would challenge every Israeli university that already offers Ph.D.’s to Israeli Arabs to do even more. And they would challenge every Arab university the same way.

That’s what people who actually care about Palestinians would do. But just singling out Israeli universities for a boycott, in the face of all the other madness in the Middle East — that’s what anti-Semites would do.

And that is key right here: the hypocrisy from the anti-Semitic left is infuriating.