Last year I wrote about the screaming-at-mice brigade who tried to prevent Pete Seeger from participating in an online concert, With Earth and Each Other. This was arranged by the Friends of Arava Institute, which works with Arab and Jewish youths from Israel and the Palestinian Territories and other Arab States.
The cause of the sexual fury unleashed on, amongst other places, a Facebook fanpage for Seeger was the association with Arava and the Jewish National League which the screamers decided was incompatible with Seeger’s support for groups such as the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions.
Despite their best efforts, the concert went ahead with Seeger’s cheerful involvement. And the hijacking of the Facebook fanpage – which appeared to have been forgotten about by the creator – continued to blood-chilling levels, including accusations of senility against Seeger. This page has been removed, although another fanpage remains.
So Seeger had refused to be intimidated just as he had done so almost six decades previously. But, wait… in March, ICAHD breathlessly reported that he had recanted and was willing to be rehabilitated:
“I appeared on that virtual rally because for many years I’ve felt that people should talk with people they disagree with. But it ended up looking like I supported the Jewish National Fund. I misunderstood the leaders of the Arava Institute because I didn’t realize to what degree the Jewish National Fund was supporting Arava. Now that I know more, I support the BDS movement as much as I can.”
The problem is that any claim of support made by BDS should be considered a lie until proven otherwise. And this is another load of chocolate salty balls. The Arava directors whom ICAHD states Seeger considers to have misled him include David Weisberg who assures me that this is a load of chocolate salty balls (although, he did not put this in those precise words), and Seeger issued a statement to this effect.
Seeger remains in approval of a boycott of artistic/financial association with Settlements which is a position I disagree with, but recognize as an argument; even if I have less sympathy for Israeli artists who push for this, despite otherwise benefit from generous State-funding.
This nuance is what the BDSers say they were referring to, and that this all-or-nothing organization does not require all-or-nothing support.
Yeah, right. This is as bad as demi-vegetarianism.
