The BDS campaign has been unsuccessful in its calls for divestment from Israel. Its call for unilateral action against Israel is counterproductive to achieving peace in the region, and flies in the face of the decades-long U.S. commitment to bilateral negotiations as the means to negotiate a two-state solution.
The local response to the conference has highlighted these flaws in a civil, clear, and consistent manner. Penn's student body overwhelmingly opposes BDS. The university administration has made clear its rejection of the call for divestment. And the local Jewish community has exposed the distortions of the BDS ideology.
Let's support the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, not destroy it.
Barry Morrison, regional director, Anti-Defamation League, Philadelphia, bmorrison@adl.org
Rabbi Mark Robbins, director, AJC Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey, robbinsm@ajc.org
Ira M. Schwartz, CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, ischwartz@jfgp.org
Don't stifle freedom of speech
The Israeli American lobby, which has monopolized the debate about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict here in America, is clearly unwilling to tolerate any criticism of the policies of the Israeli government. In order to maintain its monopoly of this debate, it seeks now to stifle the free speech of one of the few groups in America that will speak up for the rights of Palestinians. The group seeks to promote a boycott of Israeli products. How is that any more radical than boycotting products of South Africa?
Let the forum at Penn go forward. Let those who dub the group anti-Semitic not prejudge the words and actions of the forum, but instead attend and attempt to document their accusations.
William Cooney, Philadelphia
Overstating benefits of tax cuts
