9 Reasons I Am Pro-BDS

I tried to imagine the attraction of pro-BDS activism to some American and Canadian college students. Here is what I came up with. I’m sure I wasn’t able to come up with every possible reason for well-intentioned, idealistic people to join in anti-Israel protests, such as those who apparently agreed to donate funds to Hamas in Ami Horowitz’s latest video. Feel free to make further suggestions in the comments section below this post.

Let me just say in advance, that if you feel insulted by my list, I do not apologize.

1. I want to feel I am investing time into a worthwhile cause.
2. I don’t have too much energy to really research the issues so I’m going to align myself with the ones who yell loudest.
3. Related to 2, above: it is much easier to get my head around the pro-BDS arguments. The anti-BDS’ers, on the other hand, give me a headache. They actually think I should want to learn history. I had enough history in high school, thank-you very much.
4. Related to 2 and 3, above: It sounds really important to shout out against ethnic cleansing, colonization, apartheid, occupation and genocide. It doesn’t really impress me to shout out things like: “There was no ethnic cleansing – come and I’ll show you why not, etc. etc. etc.”
5. I heard that anti-BDS’ers write a lot of letters to the editor, to presidents of colleges, etc. Who wants to write letters? I’d rather stand up and hold a colourful flag and shout.
6. Pro-BDS’ers get to do neat things like pretend to be dead, put up walls on campus quads, and more. I hear the anti-BDS’ers somewhere put up a huge Pinnochio but they had to take it down. What fun is that?
7. I missed the 50s and 60s and didn’t get to march for civil rights or against the Vietnam War. This is my chance. OR: I was in the marches in the 50s and/or 60s and I miss it. Great way to get relive the good ol’ days.
8. It was one thing being amazed at Israel when they airlifted Black Africans out of the desert and to safety in Israel and rescued hostages at Entebbe. It is quite something else when Israel is caught being unable to live up to the high standards we expect of a country that can do such a thing. They don’t think we’ll let them get away with that, do they?
9. Those uppity Jews – who do they think they are? Trying to have their own country!? (Shhhh. We don’t talk about this one.)