Israeli Arab MK seeks to undermine ties with India
An Arab MK and a Jewish Israeli professor were among those in India last week for a conference that aimed to put an end to Israel-India ties. MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad), professor Ilan Pappe, and Palestinian Authority official Mustafa Barghouti traveled to New Delhi to speak in favor of boycotting Israel.The former doesn't belong in the Knesset, while the latter doesn't deserve to have a degree as a college professor.
Like many pro-boycott conferences, the event in New Delhi featured criticism of the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, the growing Jewish population of Jerusalem, and the clash in late May between Israeli soldiers and pro-terror Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound ship. It also included criticism of the Jewish presence in the Negev, which Arab activists claimed is rightfully Bedouin land.
MK Zahalka told Indians to stop purchasing Israeli arms because they are, he claimed, ineffective. “India should end its defense ties with Israel because it is buying equipment that failed during Israel's aggression on Lebanon,” he said.
Ilan Pappe, one of the few Israeli professors to support an academic boycott of Israel, focused on the flotilla incident, which he said “exposed Israel for who and what they are [sic].” He criticized the Arab world for “not doing anything” against Israel.
Both Pappe and Zahalka were critical of Israel's ongoing talks with the Palestinian Authority, saying the talks are unlikely to succeed since they do not include Hamas, which governs Gaza.
Labels: anti-semitism, Asia, islam, Israel, Israeli Arabs, jihad, terrorism