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In his June 30, 2011 article titled, "Israel and the Issue of Delegitimization: An Analysis," Lawrence Davidson said:
"....Israel's imperial and discriminatory policies are not a function of the ethno-religious definition of the state. But what happens if Israel's tactics and policies are not just opportunistic, but indeed structural?""What if the behavior of the government flows from the very nature of a country designed first and foremost for a specific group," alone? "If that is the case, you cannot separate out criticism of this or that policy from criticism of the very character of the Israeli polity. The state and its behavior are inseparable."
At issue is Israel, or any state, established for a specific group only, discriminating against and segregating its minorities, governing this way by law and practice, and spurning civil and human rights, as well as other democratic values in the process.
As a result, Israel's structure and practices lack legitimacy. It's not just occupation, says Davidson, it's how it treats Israeli Arabs (one-fifth of its population) and "Zionism as a guiding socio-political ideology that is illegitimate."
As long as it persists, Israel "will constantly be hoisting itself with its own petard," ably assisted by civil society worldwide. The Global BDS movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions shows notable successes. Others will follow until Israel complies with international law and human rights principles for Occupied Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinian diaspora refugees.
Its achievements raise serious concerns in Israel with good reason. Davidson calls the movement "the very best long term strategy for those who wish to force Israel to rid itself of what makes it truly illegitimate - its Zionist ideology."
Not according to the Tel Aviv-based Reut Institute 's (RI) November 25 report headlined, "2011: The Year We Punched Back on the Assault on Israel's Legitimacy," saying:
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