Smiling Dan, The BDS Man
In a statement that pays homage to the Dickensian legal labyrinths of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, The New Israel Fund couldn’t resist the temptations of BDS any longer. Thus, their recent pusillanimous language on allying itself with the BDSers:
“NIF supports an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories as a central tenet of the strategic framework in which we operate. The tactics known as ‘boycott, divestment and sanctions’ (BDS) are designed to pressure Israel to end the occupation, but NIF believes these tactics to be unproductive, inflammatory and ineffective because of the difficulties in defining an approach that is not overly broad, does not delegitimize Israel and will achieve the long-term goal.
Although we will continue to communicate publicly and privately to our allies and grantees that NIF does not support BDS as a strategy or tactic, we will not reduce or eliminate our funding for grantees that differ with us on a tactical matter. NIF will not fund BDS activities nor support organizations for which BDS is a substantial element (JSJ emphasis) of their activities, but will support organizations that conform to our grant requirements if their support for BDS is incidental or subsidiary to their significant programs.”
Ah so- if Adalah or The Coalition for Women for Peace, e.g., engage in BDS activities (which they already have), then NIF will continue to fund them, titrating the volume of those activities and, mirabile dictu, coming to the inevitable conclusion that they do not represent a substantial element of their activities. That’s a guarantee of support for BDS. NIF has now publicly crossed the line into BDS territory.
And what of their official ally and big brother, J Street? Will Ben Ami end its relationship with NIF? Hardly. As with the Soros scandal, he will spin and spin, sensing the warm feelings his members have for BDS and will similarly prevaricate and support NIF.
At some point in the not too distant future Ben Ami & Co. will pull of the masks entirely and satisfy the needs of their constituents by fully endorsing BDS instead of furtively supporting it.
Strapping on his backbone, Jeffrey Goldberg, at least this time, has it quite right.