At the World Social Forum in Montreal, Israeli-Arab MK Basel Ghattas said all of Israel is ‘occupied’ and called for a boycott to be applied to the entire country.
The MK from Balad, one of the parties making up the Joint List, called Israel an oppressive, racist and apartheid state, saying he is pessimistic that there will be peace soon and international sanctions were the most effective way to combat Israel.
“The only way for this society to change is the way of South Africa … international pressure, international sanctions, saying one basic elementary thing: Justice for Palestine,” he stated. “Without boycotts and sanctions, Israel will not do and comply with international law.”
Ghattas said international pressure is “the only mechanism Israel is afraid of,” and the only way “to force Israel to comply with international law.”
“I can promise you one thing, that it will not take time like in South Africa for Israel to change. Israelis are very connected to the world and very sensitive to the world and once serious action is taken by the international community, Israel will obey,” he argued.
Ghattas added that “BDS [boycott, divestment and sanctions] and popular movements are the major and the most elementary step that have to be taken in order to make governments and international bodies held accountable.”
The Joint List MK argued that the “occupation” and is not only of the West Bank but that all of Israel is “settler colonialism” and an “apartheid regime.”
“When we say colonial settlers … this is the right description for Israel as a whole, Israel dominating what was called Israel in the 1967 borders and all the other areas that were in the 1967 war occupied by Israel. We, as Palestinian citizens that have Israeli citizenship after 1948 are still victims of this colonial settler regime,” he said.
At another point in the speech, he said that when it comes to the “apartheid regime, the differentiation as if inside 1967 borders [or out] – this differentiation does not exist, actually. Perhaps in some aspects the level … of the racism or apartheid is different, but the same colonial settler apartheid reality is all over Palestine.”
All of Israel, Ghattas argued, has been taken over by “settlers.”
Never heard of the World Social Forum? Neither had I. But it sounds like it ought to be renamed the World Conference of Anti-Semites.
Ghattas made the statements last week at the World Social Forum in Montreal, which is meant to be a far-left alternative to the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. The Canadian federal government revoked its partnership with the forum, because of anti-Semitic content, policies and promotional materials, including excluding Jewish Israelis and supporters of Israel and a session blaming worldwide terrorism and imperialism on Zionists, which was promoted with a caricature featuring classic anti-Semitic imagery of a hook-nosed man with forelocks, a beard and a black hat controlling Uncle Sam. The session was later canceled and the caricature removed from the website.
And Israel allows this anti-Semite to serve in its Knesset. What is wrong with us?
Much more on Sabeel, which sponsored Ghattas’ appearance at this conference, here and here.