Gilad Erdan’s ministry for strategic affairs has become a third intelligence branch (let’s call it “the third eye”) of the Israeli state alongside the Shin Bet and Mossad, It’s brief is to fight an existential battle against the world-wide campaign to destroy Israel, aka “delegitimization.” This primarily takes the form of a war to the death against BDS, a movement that is anti-Semitic and Jew-hating to its core (or so the story goes). The ministry is filled with current and former Israeli intelligence agents; and wannabes like the poor Shai Masot, caught on video trying to topple a UK cabinet minister for being insufficiently pro-Israel. It is run by Simcha Vakhnin-Gil, the former IDF censor, who seeks to bring her censorious old methods to a government ministry.
Erdan, unlike virtually all other Israeli government ministries, wants to be shielded from public scrutiny because his work is so critical to the survival of the state that exposure would not only damage his ministry, but the nation itself. He’s trying to pass a law to this effect. To be clear, Erdan is not merely compiling an enemies list, he’s taking concrete action to sabotage both individual activists and the entire BDS movement. Of course, he won’t tell anyone what that means. It could be a bluff; or it could mean he’s planning to assassinate Omar Barghouti. No one knows for sure. And that’s just the way he wants it.
972 Magazine recently reported that Erdan spent $2-million buying favorable articles in the Israeli press. These article were published in the most popular Israeli news sites and written by some of Israel’s best-known journalists. There was little uproar. Hardly anyone batted an eyelash. In contrast, when the Los Angeles Times published a profile of the Staples Center and didn’t label it as advertising, the newsroom revolted. In Israel: nothing. Because every Israeli knows the system is gamed and corrupt. They expect journalism to be the same way. And they’re largely right.
Now, the ‘Third Eye’ proposes to establish a $75-million fund under the auspices of a new non-profit organization. It’s worth noting that the reporter who wrote the Ynet story to which I just linked, Itamar Eichner, was himself one of those handsomely rewarded for his pimping on behalf of Erdan and the anti-BDS cause. The fund would accept both government subsidies and private donations from pro-Israel fat-cat donors. The official Israeli government initial contribution would be just over $37-million. Ten undisclosed Diaspora billionaires have signed pledges committing them to matching this one-to-one. They have also committed to double or triple this sum over time.
Of course, since this article could be part of Ynet’s paid shilling for the ministry, we don’t really know what’s true and what’s bluff regarding the entire enterprise.
The fund’s purpose would be to strengthen the to-the-death struggle against BDS. Without doubt, the fat-cats will be American Jews like Sheldon Adelson, Haim Saban, Adam MIlstein, Ronald Lauder, etc. That poses an interesting question: if they give tax-deductible contributions via a non-profit organization which also accepts Israeli government money, then they’re in effect agents of the Israeli state. Therefore, not only should those gifts not be tax-deductible, but they should be compelled to register as agents of a foreign government (FARA). An aspect of the new group which supports the notion that it is an Israeli government undertaking is that it will be audited by both the government controller and legal counsel.
One of the key goals of the new non-profit is to take advantage of the supposed independent voice Diaspora Jews would bring to the campaign. Having such ‘civilians’ (Ynet’s term) involved would permit the group to say it was not the standard Brand Israel propaganda outfit (even though it would be). The organization would be most active during Israeli military operations like attacks on Gaza, when the country faces the most strident opposition to its wholesale slaughter of Palestinian civilians. It would also operate in the event of terror attacks (the Ynet article doesn’t make clear whether this means Israeli or Palestinian terror attacks!) or hostile UN votes. Among the activities would be lobbying, public campaigns, Israel junkets bringing opinion-makers to the country for hasbara briefings, new media training and outreach to world media, principally in Europe.
The new anti-BDS initiative would be structured along the same line as other private-public partnerships like Taglit which receives both Israeli state and private donations. It would also have a similar ideological purpose of promoting the image of Israel in the international community.
The Ynet article quotes an unnamed government source “involved in the initiative:”
Imagine that after an artist like Lorde cancels a performance in Israel that she faces a viral onslaught throughout the world and is forced to read full-page advertisements denouncing her decision in major newspapers around the globe. This is something that the state of Israel isn’t currently capable of.
Erdan added:
BDS attempts to blacken Israel’s name and isolate it throughout the world. Billions of people are subjected to its incitement and lying propaganda, which seek to damage the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state and to undermine the moral foundations of our [national] existence. A joint battle of the state of Israel with pro-Israel groups will act as a force multiplier of the efforts of the government and enable us to vanquish BDS.
@rootless
If the Russian people haven’t called for a boycott of their country, then neither have the people of Israel called for a boycott of their country.
As far as Palestinians go, the P.A.’s response to BDS has been tepid. Everyone knows that if BDS really begins to gain traction and strangle the Israeli economy, the West Bank Palestinians will suffer, first and the most. They’ll all lose employment in and around Israel on account of a weakened Israeli economy, and the will not find work in the West Bank.
The same way BDS calls for boycotting Israel, the Western powers have applied sanctions on Russia for Russia’s violations of international law. Yet, many people, I’d call hypocrites, will boycott Israel, but not boycott Russia.
And BTW, the Zionists have withstood earlier, effective boycotts, in the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1970’s.
I don’t believe it efficacious to use the South African boycott template, but nobody cares what I think anyway.
@ Ed: Actually Palestinians are among “the people of Israel” and they have “called for a boycott of their country.” As have Jewish Israelis. Palestinians have as much right to be “Israeli” as any Israeli Jew since the vast majority originally lived in Israel before Nakba.
Not to mention that the Likud Party has formally called for annexation of the West Bank into Israel. One assumes unless they can divorce the Palestinians from their land that this would include annexing the Palestinians in the West Bank as well. Hence they would become Israelis formally.
Uh, no. Not everybody “knows that.” In fact, I know of only one Palestinian who opposes BDS & he’s bought & paid for by the Lobby. BTW, this is the same tepid argument offered against apartheid era sanctions against South Africa. But almost no S.A. blacks ever complained they would lose their jobs from sanctions. In fact, they vastly preferred a boycott that gained them a country, rather than a status quo which offered them crumbs.
You are done in this thread.
I wonder whats in stock for the non jewish people of palestine. BDS is a reasonable reaction on the occupation and these actions to a peacefull protest can only be explained if they are preparing the final solution of the moslem problem.
“Without doubt, the fat-cats will be American Jews like Sheldon Adelson, Haim Saban, Adam MIlstein, Ronald Lauder, etc. That poses an interesting question: if they give tax-deductible contributions via a non-profit organization which also accepts Israeli government money, then they’re in effect agents of the Israeli state. Therefore, not only should those gifts not be tax-deductible, but they should be compelled to register as agents of a foreign government (FARA).”
Haven’t these human ATMs always been agents of the israeli government? It would be nice to see them have to register as FARA though for more transparency.
Calling Lorde a ‘bigot’, is taking things too far. Questioning why she cancelled Israel, but plans a performance in Putin’s Russia, is a fair question.
link to jpost.com
@Ed: Nope, it’s no fairer a question than why i permit people to read my blog in Russia. She doesn’t make her performance decisions on the basis of moral criteria laid down for her by the Jerusalem Post or the Israel Lobby (one and the same, really). Nor is there any reason she should.
Russia is a major violator of International Law, vis-a-vis, military intervention in Ukraine, not to mention meddling in the United States election process.
link to blog.oup.com
And Russia tramples on Human Rights as well.
link to hrw.org
So if Lorde wants to make money in Putin’s Russia, that’s her choice.
The people of Russia have not called for a boycott of their country. The people of Palestine, denied the freedoms you take for granted and controilled by a belligerent army of occupation, have made the request for bds. People who believe in universal human rights and who object to oppression have supported it, The same tactic was used by black people under apartheid.
@Ed: so is China. So is North Korea. So is the U.S. But the subject of this blog is Israeli-Palestine. So stick to the topic & stop using tired hasbara central red herring tactics. They’ve already been used before by you or some hack just like you. They fell as flat then as you do now.