http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/5968-stephen-hawkings-boycott-decision-elicits-zionist-hatred
Stephen Hawking's boycott decision elicits Zionist hatred Ramona Wadi Thursday, 09 May 2013 13:30 - [image: Print]<http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/5968-stephen-hawkings-boycott-decision-elicits-zionist-hatred?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=> 3 5 0 17 Academic boycotts seem to resonate deeply within Israel, veering towards the dynamics of vengeance. Cosmologist Stephen Hawking's decision to boycott the Israeli Presidential Conference sparked a furore on social media sites, with a deluge of derogatory comments directed against the scientist applauded by Zionists and their supporters. Overnight, it seems as though a brilliant mind has suddenly been deemed incapable of an independent decision, since the result obviously tarnishes Israel's international image. Once the initial confusion cleared, and it became evident that Hawking's cancellation was not due to health reasons, the ingrained culture of hatred detonated. Commentators on social media have expressed the view that Hawking should have already died, that he is incapable of tending to himself, the devices he uses to communicate would 'waste a lot of electricity', in possession of 'a crippled mind' and he should 'give up his voice synthesizer'. Others claimed to have 'lost respect for this man', that he was 'supposed to be brilliant', while another commentator expressed his wish to 'throw him into a black hole'. Israeli media has portrayed the decision as 'shunning Israeli science'. However, as can be seen from the conference's website, it is difficult to decipher exactly how Hawking is shunning science, given that the wide spectrum of subjects to be discussed should allegedly provide suggestions for 'a better tomorrow for Israel, for the Jewish people and for all humanity'. Science is not even mentioned in the list of subjects to be discussed, unless it has been included in the 'and more' category. The conference is also being touted as an opportunity to celebrate the 90th birthday of Shimon Peres the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize winner who has also declared himself a 'Ben Gurionist'. The conference obviously seeks to impart an image of Israel distanced from the daily human rights violations meted out against the Palestinian population, hence there is obviously no reference to the apartheid implied within subjects to be discussed such as culture, identity and education, no discussion of how the right to memory has been manipulated into an attainable circumstance according to adherence to Zionist ideology. Israel's melancholic metaphors are eagerly endorsed by supporters of the occupation in Israel and abroad, to the extent that many are claiming intellectual superiority to Hawking based on a decision which has clearly enraged the occupation beyond any boundaries of logical argument. The trend of Zionist verbal brutality has been observed in other occasions; in Hawking's case the reaction has resembled retaliation. The initial anti-Semite rhetoric and expected insults regarding Hawking's illness have escalated into cries of 'traitor'. The so-called 'only democracy in the Middle East', which expects the world to believe and endorse Israel's philosophy and practice of 'free speech' has been unable to come to terms with the fact that Hawking's decision is likely to spur other similar successes in isolating the apartheid occupation. In the meantime, Zionism is bequeathing the world with timely and revolting comments which reveal the extent of the occupation's recalcitrant hatred and vision of dialogue with its opponents. ------------------------------ Photo collage: Israeli forces arrest dozens in Jerusalem Day clashes http://972mag.com/photo-collage-israeli-forces-arrest-24-in-jerusalem-day-clashes/70778/ --------------------------------------------------- http://972mag.com/stephen-hawkings-message-to-israeli-elites-the-occupation-has-a-price/70719/ By Noam Sheizaf <http://972mag.com/author/noams/> |Published May 8, 2013Stephen Hawking's message to Israeli elites: The occupation has a price *By choosing to avoid the Presidential Conference an annual meeting of Israeli generals, politicians and business elites with their international fans, Prof. Hawking reminds that the occupation cannot be forgotten or avoided. A response to Haaretzs Carlo Strenger.* The British *Guardian *on Wednesday reported<http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/stephen-hawking-joins-boycott-cancels-participation-at-president-conference/> that Prof. Stephen Hawking has cancelled<http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/confirmed-hawking-canceling-israel-trip-due-to-request-from-palestinians/>his appearance at the fifth Presidential Conference due to take place this June, in protest of Israels treatment of the Palestinians. The report was later confirmed by Cambridge University. A spokeperson for the Jerusalem-based conference called Hawkings decision outrageous and improper<http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/anger-in-israel-due-to-hawkings-decision-to-join-boycott-outrageous-and-improper/> . One of *Haaretz*s leading lefty columnists, Carlo Strenger, wrote an open letter to Hawking<http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/strenger-than-fiction/hypocrisy-and-double-standard-an-open-letter-to-stephen-hawking.premium-1.519920#.UYpPjsind1A.facebook> echoing these feelings. After expressing pride in his own opposition to the occupation, Strenger accuses Hawking of hypocrisy and applying a double standard; he claims that Israels human rights violations are negligible compared to those of other countries in the world, and notes that the Israeli academia is for the most part liberal and therefore cant be blamed for the occupation. I would like to respond to some of the points he makes, since they represent a larger problem with the Israeli left. ______________ While Hawking responded to the call for academic boycott, it should be noted that the Presidential Conference is not an academic event: its an annual celebration of the Israeli business, political and military elites, whose purpose is unclear at best, and which has little importance in Israeli life (it didnt exist until five years ago). The pro-occupation Right has a heavy presence at the conference or at least it felt that way last year, when I attended. I will get back to the notion of the liberal academia and the Presidential Conference later. Personally, I think we should put the double standards line of defense to rest, since its simply an excuse against any form of action. The genocide in Cambodia was taking place at the same time as the boycott effort against South Africa. According to Prof. Strengers logic, anti-Apartheid activists were guilty of double standards; they should have concentrated their efforts on many other, and much worse regimes. The notion according to which the horrors in Syria or Darfur make ending the occupation a less worthy cause represents the worst kind of moral relativism, especially when its being voiced by members of the occupying society. Im also not sure what makes Israeli human rights violations negligible compared to those of other countries. I certainly do not think that killing hundreds of civilians in one month during Cast Lead was negligible, but the occupation goes way beyond the number of corpses it leaves behind it has a lot to do with the pressure on the daily lives of all Palestinians, and with the fact that its gone on for so long, affecting people through their entire lives (I wrote on the need to see beyond death statistics here<http://972mag.com/no-end-in-sight-occupation-marks-45th-anniversary/47544/>). Plus, there is something about the fact that its an Israeli who is determining that those human rights violations are negligible, which makes me uneasy just as we dont want to hear the Chinese using the same term when discussing Tibet. I will not go into all of Strengers rationalizations for the occupation his claims that the Palestinians answered Israels generous peace offers with the second Intifada; that as long as Hamas is in power there is nobody to talk to, that Israel is fighting for its survival against an existential threat, and so on. I dont think that a fact-based historical analysis supports any of these ideas, but Strenger is entitled to his view. If you think the occupation is justified, or at least inevitable, you obviously see any action against it as illegitimate and uncalled for. Yet the thing that made Prof. Strenger jump is not any action but rather something very specific the academic boycott. Personally, I think that his text mostly portrays a self-perception of innocence. Israel, according to Strenger, doesnt deserve to be boycotted and the liberal academics like himself specifically, dont deserve it because they oppose the occupation. At this point in time, I think its impossible to make such distinctions. The occupation which will celebrate 46 years next month is obviously *an Israeli project*, to which all elements of society contribute and from which almost all benefit<http://972mag.com/the-profitable-occupation-and-why-it-is-never-discussed/49497/>. The high-tech industrys connection to the military has been widely discussed, the profit Israeli companies make exploiting West Bank resources is documented and the captive market for Israeli goods in the West Bank and Gaza is known. Strengers own university cooperates with the army in various programs, and thus contributes its own share to the national project. I would also say that at this point in time, paying lip service to the two state-solution while blaming the Palestinians for avoiding peace cannot be considered opposing to the occupation, unless you want to include Lieberman and Netanyahu in the peace camp. We should be asking ourselves questions about political action as opposed to discussing our views: where do we contribute to the occupation and what form of actions do we consider legitimate in the fight against it? Prof. Stephen Hawking responded to a Palestinian call for solidarity. This is also something to remember that the oppressed have opinions too, and that empowering them is a worthy cause. In Strengers world, the occupation is a topic of internal political discussion among the Jewish-Israeli public. Some people support it, some people more are against it; the Palestinians should simply wait for the tide to change since it is very difficult for Israeli politicians to convince Israelis to take risks for peace. And what happens if Israelis dont chose to end the occupation? (Which is exactly what they are doing, over and over again.) I wonder what form of Palestinian opposition to the occupation Prof. Strenger considers legitimate. My guess: none (code phrase: they should negotiate for peace). ______________ The issues of boycott and anti-normalization<http://972mag.com/on-anti-normalization-dialogue-and-activism/55611/> are perhaps the toughest for Israeli leftists right now. Like everyone who deals with Palestinians if only occasionally I have personally felt the effects of various campaigns against the occupation. I could also say that I have felt alienated by the language and tone of many pro-Palestinian activists. Often I feel that they reject my Israeli identity as a whole<http://972mag.com/anti-normalization-and-the-israeli-left-a-facebook-debate/55566/>, sometimes even my existence. Many even refrain from using the name Israel, leaving very little room for joint action or simply for meaningful interaction. But all this is beside the point right now. While I myself have never advocated a full boycott, I think that the least Israeli leftists can do is to not stand in the way of non-violent Palestinian efforts to end the occupation. Its not only the moral thing to do, but also a smarter strategy because as long as Israelis dont feel that the status quo is taking some toll on their lives, they will continue to avoid the unpleasant political choices which are necessary for terminating the occupation. Since the Israeli left is often unable to admit its own share in the occupation and therefore acknowledge the legitimacy of Palestinian resistance again and again it acts against its own stated goals. 2012 was the most peaceful year the West Bank has known in a long time (for Israelis, that is), and yet at its very end, Israelis chose a coalition which all but ignores the occupation. The problem is not just the politicians; Israelis are simply absorbed by other issues. I hope that Stephen Hawkings absence will serve as a reminder for the generals, politicians and diplomats who will attend the Presidential Conference next month of the things happening just a few miles to their east as negligible as they may seem to some. *Related:* No end in sight: Occupation marks 45th anniversary<http://972mag.com/no-end-in-sight-occupation-marks-45th-anniversary/47544/> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Techwashing: Hasbara group strikes back after Hawking boycott *Israeli hasbara<http://972mag.com/hasbara-why-does-the-world-fail-to-understand-us/27551/> organizations have been calling Stephen Hawking a hypocrite for daring to boycott Israel while simultaneously using an Israeli-designed chip in his wheelchair. And this, in essence, is the emblematic Israeli response: shut your mouth when you criticize me.* (Translated by Sol Salbe) One of the more repulsive concepts underlying Israeli hasbara<http://972mag.com/close-your-books-were-having-a-pop-quiz-in-hasbara/64946/> (the Hebrew term for the public relations efforts geared at disseminating information about Israel) is redemption through technology. The concept states that since Israel is a technology leader, it is exempt from any criticism for the fact that it oppresses the Palestinians and other minorities. The same get-out-of-jail card should apply to the fact that it is an ethnocracy, which just happens to be best thing that has ever happened to anti-Semites since the 19th century. This is usually expressed as ah, so you write some criticisms of Israel, you despicable lowlife? Are you aware that you are using Israeli technology?! As if somehow this provides some sort of rebuttal to the criticism. Even if we accept the assumption that Israeli technology is somehow indispensable to modern life and I certainly do not buy this assumption there is a conflation here between the activities of individual Israelis or Israeli companies and Israels political pursuits. An American female blogger, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, noted that this minor psychosis is really strange: when someone criticises the United States government, it does not occur to her to say but we gave the world a whole range of Apple products! This psychosis has now reached its zenith, an example of which can be seen here: one the most repulsive hasbara organisations, Shurat HaDin<https://www.facebook.com/ShuratHaDin?fref=ts>, is calling physicist Stephen Hawking a hypocrite<http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/may/08/stephen-hawking-hypocrisy-israel-boycott> for daring to boycott<http://972mag.com/stephen-hawkings-message-to-israeli-elites-the-occupation-has-a-price/70719/> Israel while simultaneously using an Intel chip which is at the core of the system with which the handicapped physicist engages with the world . This chip, claims the lawfare organization organization, was manufactured in Israel. Thus, the brutes of Shurat HaDin suggest that if Hawking wants to be an honest man, he ought to shut the fuck up. This, in essence, is the emblematic Israeli response: shut your mouth when you criticize me. Intel is an international company with branches in Israel. It is far from certain whether the chip that Hawking uses was created or designed by Israelis. Moreover, I doubt that Intel is all that keen about this kind of attention by Shurat HaDin. In free countries, those in which one may call for a boycott of Israel, Shurat HaDins atavistic approach may certainly lead to a call for a boycott of Intel until it ceases its activities in Israel. Naturally, this doesnt apply in Israel where anyone calling for a boycott runs the risk of hundreds of settlers prosecuting them and demanding up to NIS 30,000 ($8250) without having to prove actual damages. A boycott of Intel could be a good idea: the Israeli taxpayer has been subsidizing the corporation for many years under the program of socialism for the rich, swinish capitalism for the have nots. So those taxpayers might indeed be delighted when Intel one of the most predatory corporations around goes on to exploit other country. But thats a different story. 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