10s Of Thousands Of Palestinians Bravely Defy BDS To Work In Israel

It remains unclear what manner of sanctions BDS might call for against these flagrant violations of its aims.

Credit: Takver, via Wikimedia Commons

Hizmeh Post, June 13 – Cars and buses from Palestinian-administered territories line up at this security checkpoint northeast of Jerusalem each morning into rush hour so that thousands of day-laborers and other workers may gain entry into the Israeli capital where they can earn a living. In so doing, note a number of them, these brave souls risk the ire of the BDS movement, which seeks to isolate Israel politically, economically, and culturally.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians cross the 1967 Armistice line each morning and evening on their ways to and from work in Israeli businesses, where generous pay enables them to support their families. The Palestinian workers persist in this routine despite its resulting support for what BDS calls “normalization of the Occupation.” It remains unclear what manner of sanctions BDS might call for against these flagrant violations of its aims.

Ahmad, 40, a construction worker, displayed the permit he holds that allows him to enter areas under full Israeli control. “I can earn six times on the other side of that wall than on this side,” he explained, gesturing toward the separation barrier. “There are people who think I should be letting my kids starve to make a political statement? Wow. That’s inhuman. Who are these people?”

“Bee Dee- what?” added Jameel, 22, who works in the hospitality industry. “I get to eat on the job as I wash dishes and do some short-order cooking at a restaurant in Jerusalem, when no such work is available back in Ramallah, or anywhere else under Palestinian administration. Who are these [expletive] who think they can dictate how I live my life?”

“Do they think we want to replace Israeli rule with their own tyranny?” wondered a man who gave his name as Abu Issa. “I’m no fan of the occupation, but Israeli rule is a hundred times better than the so-called autonomy our so-called leadership in Ramallah exercises. Heck, even Abu Mazen cooperates with the Israeli army on security matters,” he observed, referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas by his common nickname.

“Somebody needs to get a life,” echoed Jameel. “I’m perfectly willing to spend an hour in each direction waiting to have my papers examined if it means I get a fatter paycheck than anything I can find back home. I don’t have personal connections to Fatah, so I have to do actual work. I wonder how many of these BS – what did you say they were called? – sorry, BDS folks have done an honest day’s work in their lives.”

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