NTNU Norway – Proposes Academic Boycott of Israel

Paul J. Balles views the twisted logic and demeaning tone of American Zionists who casually falsify history and dismiss the rights of the Palestinian people in defence of Israel.

Several days ago (9 November 2009), David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee, wrote an article for the Huffington Post complaining that later this month the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), will consider a proposed boycott of Israel.

His complaint is typical of the kind of twisted logic used by American Zionists to advance Israel’s causes. He asks:

Why the call for the boycott? The appeal’s first sentence says it all: “Since 1948, the state of Israel has occupied Palestinian land and denied the Palestinians basic human rights.” The boycott should continue until there “is an end to the occupation.”

The caustic attitude and demeaning tone appears to deny the truth in the statement. Both Israelis and American Zionists have been dismissive of any Palestinian rights since the terrorist Irgun and Stern Gang’s insurrection against British rule and terrorist slaughter of Palestinians.

Harris continues: “It (NTNU) goes on to accuse Israeli academics, among other alleged misdeeds, of developing “Zionist ideology and renouncing Palestinian history and identity.”

“There you have it,” he groans. “Israel is deemed illegal. It has no right to exist. Until it disappears from the face of the earth, it must be treated as a pariah nation, so radioactive as to be untouchable.”

Harris admits that “at least the petitioners are being honest”, complaining that “More often, we’re treated to deliberately vague slogans such as ‘end the occupation’, without any specificity.” Israel has no right to occupy Palestine. It is a pariah nation; and it is radioactive!

The sarcasm persists: “Do these calls refer to 1948, the year of Israel’s establishment, or 1967, the year Israel fought a war of self-defence and, in winning, acquired territory it then expected to trade for a peace agreement? It can be hard, if not impossible, to tell.”

The audacity of his reference to 1948 as “the year of Israel’s establishment” purposely ignores 9 April 1948, when the Jewish Irgun terrorist group attacked Deir Yassin, Palestine, murdering 254 women and children captured in the village. Israel’s terrorist founders caused thousands of Palestinians to flee for their lives as refugees.

Harris indulges himself in self-righteousness by referring to “1967 [as] the year Israel fought a war of self-defence and, in winning, acquired territory”. He distorts history by pretending the 1967 war was not meticulously planned by Israel many years before.

“Of all the nations in the world, according to these Norwegian luminaries, only Israel has no legitimacy and must be ostracized,” says Harris, attempting to legitimize Israel with several ludicrous historical twists:

Obviously, the ancient Hebrew presence, the continuous link between the Jewish people and the land, the Balfour Declaration, the League of Nations mandate, and the votes of the UN Special Committee on Palestine and the UN General Assembly have no bearing, though they provide a legal and historical foundation for statehood far exceeding that of many countries.

One need only consider the deceptive claim about the “ancient Hebrew presence, the continuous link between the Jewish people and the land…” The reader of Harris’s diatribe is supposed to ignore the ancient Palestinian presence and their continuous link to the same land.

However, in the most irrational bluff, Harris argues:

@@In reality, if the petitioners were truly concerned about sovereign legitimacy, they might begin by asking how many countries in the world today were established by violent conquest. And how many were created by politicians in distant capitals dispassionately drawing and redrawing boundaries in far-off lands?@@

In the twisted logic of Zionist deceit, other’s wrongs justify Israel’s. Others cheated! Why pick on us? Because you’re guilty.

Paul Balles

* Paul J. Balles is a retired American university professor and freelance writer who has lived in the Middle East for many years. For more information, see http://www.pballes.com.

intifada-palestine.com/2009/11/18/the-zionist-con-game-in-america/