Stephen Lendman

Increasing BDS influence is the single most effective tool for confronting longstanding Israeli contempt for Palestinian rights.

Neocons infesting Washington, state capitals and municipal governments want it banned - a flagrant First Amendment violation if enacted into law or enforced by gubernatorial executive order diktat, the extrajudicial way NY governor Andrew Cuomo operates.

Duopoly power presidential aspirants one-sidedly support Israel. Bernie Sanders’ House and Senate voting records show his rhetoric belies his agenda. Addressing AIPAC last March in written form, he committed America “not just to guaranteeing (Israel’s survival), but also to its people’s right to live in peace and security.”

Its only enemies are ones it invents. It’s the region’s leading menace, an apartheid state worse than South Africa’s.

Sanders pledged full support for what demands condemnation and accountability. He shamelessly says it’s a mistake not to call anti-Semitism a driver of BDS activism. One has nothing to do with the other.

At AIPAC in March, Trump stressed his “lifelong” support and true friendship for Israel.” On Friday, he urged strengthened ties between both countries, short of indicating specifics, ludicrously claiming world security depends on it.

It’s unclear precisely where he stands on BDS. Given his one-sided support for Israel, he’s no ally of the right to criticize its agenda freely and demand accountability for decades of high crimes.

Clinton is militantly anti-BDS, a notorious liar, urges strong action against it - turning truth on its head, claiming it’s “counterproductive to the pursuit of peace and harmful to Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Physician, human rights activist turned progressive Green Party presidential aspirant Jill Stein forthrightly supports BDS, calling Israel an “apartheid regime.”

Earlier this week, she released a statement on US foreign policy, Palestine-Israel and BDS, saying she “supports the BDS movement as a peaceful, nonviolent set of actions organized by civil society across the world aimed to end Israeli apartheid, occupation, war crimes, and systematic human rights abuses.”

“Washington encouraged the worst tendencies of the Israeli government as it pursues policies of occupation, apartheid, assassination, illegal settlements, demolitions, blockades, building of nuclear bombs, indefinite detention, collective punishment, and defiance of international law.”

“Instead of allying with the courageous proponents of peace and human rights within Palestine and Israel, our government has rewarded consistent abusers of human rights.”

Her “campaign calls for ending military and economic support for the Israeli government while it is committing war crimes and defying international law.”

She wholeheartedly endorses nonviolent resistance against Israeli occupation harshness and other high crimes. She considers BDS a vital initiative deserving universal support.

Duopoly party candidates back longstanding Israeli lawlessness, its vicious persecution of millions of Palestinians.

Stein supports nonviolent resistance. Resisting tyranny is a universal obligation.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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