By Nadia Matar
December 5, 2004
Let's imagine for a moment what would have happened if the CEO Arik Reichman of the dairy company Tnuva had said that the Arab population in Israel is a "malignant cancer in the heart of the country."
The Tnuva management would have issued an immediate apology, and, undoubtedly, the very same day it would have fired Reichman. If not, the Arab population would have risen up, and there would have been a vocal chorus of outrage by the state media, the politicians, and all the "human rights" activists.
Reichman said the above in an interview in the local media, about the settlers of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. He singled out the most besmirched and persecuted group in the country. He addressed part of a public that, until now, has acted in a servile manner by turning the other cheek, barely responding to all the aspersions, the insults, the spitting in its face, and the other attacks directed against it.
At long last, the settlers of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza have decided to respond to the delegitimation campaign -- as every other self-respecting group would do. Their representative, the Yesha Council called for a boycott of all Tenuva products until the issuing of an apology. But Reichman refused to retract his scurrilous statement and said that his words had been "misunderstood."
But, wonder of wonders, instead of attacking the besmircher Reichman and forcing him to apologize, an all out attack was launched against the victim! It was instituted against the settlers of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, who dared to react and defend their good name!
The media, the politicians, and others all united in their protest against the "settlers" and their supporters. How dare they boycott Tnuva? They claimed that what Reichman said was "free speech". We can't remember when we last saw such chutzpah and hypocrisy. As we said in the beginning: how different would the reaction have been had Reichman said something similarly bad about the Israeli Arabs.
I hope that the settlers of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza and their many supporters will not capitulate, as their official representative, the Yesha Council, subsequently did. We must continue the boycott of all Tnuva products.
Women in Green call upon all of its many members and friends to boycott all Tnuva products until its management changes its position on settlements in the Land of Israel. Reichman is a mere reflection of the hostile, disloyal and irreligious attitude, which some misguided people in Israel erroneously continue to hold. The Biblical obligation is quite explicit -- the Jewish People must "settle" in all parts of our Holy and Promised Land.
Views expressed by the author do not
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