No Jewish community newspaper has been more ardently opposed to the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement than this one. We have covered BDS activities extensively, and have long editorialized against the campaign’s efforts to demonize and delegitimize Israel.
That said, we agree with Los Angeles federation head Jay Sanderson’s trepidation regarding the Israeli government’s $25 million plan to counter BDS by, among other things, gathering intelligence on American college campuses. It smacks of unwarranted foreign intervention, an impression that will not improve Israel’s image on campus or elsewhere. And it risks fueling the canard that American Jewish students and the Israeli government are in cahoots.
As our story on page 8 notes, the government plan was financed last June, but it shifted to high gear after an international anti-BDS conference last month in Jerusalem. It was announced then that the Israeli government would appoint 10 anti-BDS coordinators at select embassies around the world. Beyond that, strategy was kept confidential so as not to tip off anti-Israel activists.
The American Jewish community is already on red alert about BDS. National organizations such as StandWithUs and the Louis D. Brandeis Center, as well as local agencies such as the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish federations and Hillels, are all working hard to counter these anti-Israel initiatives.
Though dozens of student senates across the country have passed divestment resolutions, pro-Israel activists have also enjoyed their share of successes, beating back or overturning BDS initiatives and supporting anti-BDS laws passed by several state legislatures. And it’s worth noting that despite the passage of dozens of campus measures, not a single university has ever divested any holdings from companies that do business with Israel.
Moreover, homegrown campaigns have worked hard to bring a positive pro-Israel message to campuses, through guest speakers, displays on the quad and other forms of outreach.
There is plenty of work to do. Anti-Israel forces, especially on college campuses, grow more sophisticated in their techniques and more strident in their hateful speech. But this is an American problem best left to American organizations familiar with the terrain.
Israel understandably wants to combat BDS. But when it comes to a foreign government spending money to sway public opinion, when there are already capable American Jewish institutions spearheading the fight, we must say to the Israeli government: Thanks, but no thanks.