Naomi Klein: It's time to boycott Israel

Naomi Klein's recent article, published recently in numerous places, makes some very good points:

The world has tried what used to be called "constructive engagement". It has failed utterly. Since 2006 Israel has been steadily escalating its criminality: expanding settlements, launching an outrageous war against Lebanon, and imposing collective punishment on Gaza through the brutal blockade. Despite this escalation, Israel has not faced punitive measures - quite the opposite. The weapons and $3bn in annual aid the US sends Israel are only the beginning. Throughout this key period, Israel has enjoyed a dramatic improvement in its diplomatic, cultural and trade relations with a variety of other allies. For instance, in 2007 Israel became the first country outside Latin America to sign a free-trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. In the first nine months of 2008, Israeli exports to Canada went up 45%. A new deal with the EU is set to double Israel's exports of processed food. And in December European ministers "upgraded" the EU-Israel association agreement, a reward long sought by Jerusalem.

It is in this context that Israeli leaders started their latest war: confident they would face no meaningful costs.

It seems to me that more and more people are beginning to look at Israel a little more critically. It may be hoping too much, but maybe we are seeing the beginning of something that might finally convince Israel to end the murderous occupation of Palestine.

Here are a few places you can read the whole article:

naomiklein.org

The Guardian

The Nation

ZNet