Letters - 29 June 2012
From boycotts to stories
Boycott of settlement goods
While it is understandable that Friends are strongly opposed to many of the actions of the Israeli government and of the illegal settlements in particular, we have to remember that the Israel/Palestine conflict is not one-sided and that Israeli actions are driven by a real and justifiable fear of a second Holocaust and annihilation.
Quakers have led the world in showing that peace-making is not a matter of mere rejection of violence, but consists in listening and in engaging even-handedly with both sides to mediate and foster understanding of the other, an essential precursor to real peace. By calling for sanctions against one side in this tragic situation I believe that we are failing to live up to our own precious Peace Testimony. Moreover, by throwing ourselves into the conflict in this way, I fear that we are undermining Quakers’ unique status as trusted and impartial mediators and squandering any chance we might have of undertaking a meaningful peace-making role in the Middle East.
Margaret Smith
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