Opinion

Song of no Hope

July 15, 2011 08:44
1 min read

Anshel Pfeffer of this parish makes a very good point here about singing the national anthem and "patriotism".
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/singing-hatikva-every-morning-...

As will the new Boycott Law, an issue very similar to "Hatikva." I would like Israel's occupation of the West Bank to end tomorrow if possible, but I think boycotting goods produced on the settlements should be an individual consumer decision. In many cases it is an empty gesture, as most Jewish factories in the West Bank are just across the Green Line and could well be part of the settlement blocs that will eventually be part of Israel. But that is only my opinion.

The only effect of the undemocratic law will be to force people to choose sides. Just as forcing children to sing "Hatikva" will have an adverse and polarizing affect, so will forbidding the boycott of settlement products. Boycott and prohibition are both blunt instruments, human beings are much more nuanced. So is patriotism.