Even though the UN has changed its mind about Zionism and declared that, after all, it is not racist, Jimmy Carter’s book “Peace not Apartheid” has spelled out what most Middle-East observers already knew: that Israel has imposed an Apartheid-like regime in the Occupied Territories. What is less well-known, but at least as important, is that Israel is also a racist state *inside* its official borders (although no such borders have ever been officially defined by Israeli officials). Jonathan Cook’s absolutely ground braking book “Blood and Religion: the Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic state” has finally raised the issue of the racist policies imposed upon those Palestinians who have Israeli citizenship and who live inside Israel.
Now a world-wide movement for a boycott of Israel has finally begun. John Pilger has recently written an article which looks into this most important development. The fact that the Israel Knesset has just passed yet another racist piece of legislation has only given a stronger impetus to this movement.
Lastly, more and more people are coming to the realization that no “two state solution” is possible in Israel as, by definition, any such “solution” being based on race will only lead to more violence. From Hassan Nasrallah to Ilan Pappe, an increasing number of Middle-East actors and observers are openly advocating the creation of a unitary state, based on a “one man one vote” democracy, which would fully accept the right of return of all Palestinian refugees and which would make no distinction between its citizens on the basis or race or religion.
As in the case of Apartheid, the growing boycott of Israel will not affect it economically, not with the USA dumping trillions of dollars on the “Jewish State”. But morally this boycott will, with time, have an impact on the Israeli public and will bring it to question the nature of the society it lives in.
This is not an easy solution, and it will take time. But it is the only viable one.
The upcoming Imperial war against Iran will only accelerate the inevitable.
