Viewpoint - January 28, 2016

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BDS movement able to change Israel behavior
PressTV

Press TV has conducted an interview with Alice Rothschild, author of the 'Broken Promises, Broken Dreams' from Boston, on the Israeli regime's act of destroying EU-funded buildings in the West Bank.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: I want to start off firstly with these EU structures in essence. Is Israel getting revenge considering the EU is now going after labeling products in illegal settlements?

Rothschild: Well, it's hard to call it revenge when the policy of taking over Palestinian land has been going on for decades, but perhaps this little bump-up in take-over is revenge, but it's part of a long term strategy to take as much land as possible.

The Jordanian Valley has also been a closed military zone for a long time and generally the pattern is that after something has been claimed to be a closed military zone it then becomes more available for a settler expansion.

Press TV: And obviously, you know, this takeover of Palestinian lands always has repercussions for any talk of a future Palestinian state considering the Palestinian says: "The very land being taking over, they want as part of their future state." So, in essence isn't Israel destroying any such chances for the future?

Rothschild: Well, this has been my contention for a long time that the two-state solution has been destroyed by the Israeli expansion into the West Bank in sort of like discussing dividing of a pizza while eating the slices. The Israeli behavior is not going to result in a viable contiguous Palestinian state.

So, if you look at what is now left for this so-called ephemeral state, the capital in East Jerusalem (al-Quds) is totally under debate. And the different centers of Palestinian life are basically ... that are separated by pass roads and walls and Israeli settlements. So, this is part of a long term strategy to make it impossible.

Press TV: So then going forward, Ms. Rothschild, will that be the ICC case, which will help the Palestinians? What do you think will help the Palestinians control the situation if anything is even possible at this point?

Rothschild: The ICC has had some very brave decisions like on Separation Wall being illegally placed and it hasn't impacted Israeli behavior whatsoever. So, I don't think that although the ICC should certainly weigh in that's what's going to change.

I think that changing international opinion, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement that's what's going to put pressure on the Israeli government, because they have been sort of Teflon immune to lots of other kinds of legal and international law, human rights reports, all sorts of other attempts to change their behavior.

Original Article: BDS movement able to change Israel behavior

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