Mohamed Ameen Dabhelia – 04/03/2016

Boycott Divestment and Sanctions South Africa (BDS SA) has denied it’s promoting Zionism in the country.

In an article in the Daily Vox, the Director for the Study of Democracy at Rhodes and the University of Johannesburg Professor Steven Friedman says since the lobby group and its allies became the face of the solidarity movement, Zionist influence has increased.
 
“While the movement sees getting ANC struggle warhorses to pile up trolleys at Woolworths and then refuse to pay as a major triumph, in the political mainstream Zionist influence has strengthened.”

Friedman says it takes special skill to turn the fight for Palestinian rights into a marginal movement in a country where the vast majority identify with the victims of oppression of one identity group by another.

“Yes, we do now have labelling laws which are meant to identify goods made in the West Bank and Gaza – but then so does the European Union, hardly an anti-Zionist stronghold.”

He reiterates that at the same time the media hardly tells the Palestinian story while the Israeli ambassador boasts in private of how many good friends the Israeli state has in government.

However BDS National Coordinator Muhammad Desai says they disagree with Friedman.

“Well, I think that we are open to criticism, we do make mistakes, we do falter and we need to learn from our mistakes in order to be a better and a stronger organisation.”

Desai also says Friedman calling the Boycott Woolworths campaign counterproductive it incorrect.

“Firstly, to take the issue of BDS as a concept and as a movement into people’s homes, to give consumers the ability to participate in the movement has been successful It galvanises public support and allow members of various communities to plug into the sanctions movement against Apartheid regimes.”

Desai says they will be responding to Friedman’s article soon.

Twitter: @thedabhelia

(Edited by Faizel Patel)