As a left-of-center columnist, even by Newsweek‘s standards, Jacob Weisberg is not the sort of writer you’d expect to raise much fuss about the latest half-baked political statements from celebrities such as Meg Ryan and Elvis Costello.
But because those two stars’ latest actions involve a cultural boycott of Israel, Weisberg does take note and responds.
The stronger case against a cultural boycott of Israel is based on
consistency, proportionality, and history. That supporters of this
boycott seldom focus on China or Syria or Zimbabwe?or other genuinely
illegitimate regimes that systematically violate human
rights?underscores their bad faith. Boycotters are not trying to send
the specific message, ?We object to your settlement policy in the West
Bank.? What they?re saying is, ?We consider your country so
intrinsically reprehensible that we are going to treat all of your
citizens as pariahs.? Like the older Arab economic boycott of Israel,
which dates back to the 1940s, the cultural boycott is a weapon designed
not to bring peace but to undermine the country.
