I did say that we must do what we can to keep the pressure on Israel and its allies, so I’m writing about the conflict again.
But I think some nuance is in order, because while not as many Facebook users commented on last week’s piece as I expected, I did have a few in-person encounters about it.
In case you missed it, last week I addressed what I term the “unconscious hypocrisy” of some people insisting that people boycott American products, because the USA supports Israel.
On the face of it, the call makes sense, until you realise how widespread beyond KFC and Coke the problem actually is.
I highlighted the fact that those very same people are probably using an array of products and services that are owned either by citizens of Israeli allies or individual Zionists.
Examples of these include TikTok, Instagram, Apple and the GPS system, which is owned by the American military.
Let me start by acknowledging a Jewish friend of mine, who rapped me over the knuckles for failing to point out that all Jews are not necessarily fervent Zionists, who will defend the right of the state of Israel to exist, no matter what.
This is of course an important truth to point out.
There are many Jewish groups all over the world, who regularly make their anti-Israel voices heard.
Allies like them are crucial, because they have access to ears that need to hear their reasoning.
There are Jews who want Israel to exist, but only with compromises instead of violence.
And on the other end of the spectrum, there are Jews who do not subscribe to any Biblical principles, who have never heard of Jesus and do not believe in God, yet believe that He wants them to have Israel.
It makes no sense whatsoever to believe in something spoken by someone you have no faith in. The only purpose is to justify Israel’s ongoing violence.
Then there are Christians who are Zionists by default, because they believe in the scriptures that Israel is the promised land for Jews – the chosen people.
The irony of two supposedly peaceful religions that advocate violence to achieve peace for a small group by realising an age-old dream, does not escape me.
This is what I mean with nuance, because you can go even deeper with the analysis.
There are political considerations that – from the looks of it – overshadow the preservation of human life.
Questions like, why do neighbouring Islamic states appear to do nothing other than make condemning statements, while spectating from the side lines.
I suspect if you follow the money, you’ll have a better understanding, because a country like Ireland, which is thousands of miles away is being very vocal, while Egypt right next door is not.
Away from the nuance, let me address two intriguing Facebook commentators that misread what I had to say.
Both people understood that I meant “if you can’t boycott all products that end up funding Israel, then don’t boycott any,” which is far off the mark of what I said.
My argument is that you shouldn’t judge others for not boycotting the product that you believe deserves boycotting, when you are ignorantly using a product that causes even greater harm to the Palestinian cause.
A good example is the GPS system, which we have all come to rely on.
Would you willingly give money to a company, knowing that they will use it to supply Israel with rockets, with which they will bomb Palestine? I seriously doubt it.
TikTok is another example. Kids spend hours glued to TikTok, while also lamenting the plight of Palestine.
But by using TikTok, they are adding to the massive revenue of a company (and individual investors) that is taxed in the USA, which uses some of that tax to support Israel.
My point was really twofold.
Firstly, if a boycott is going to be more than mere posturing and have actual impact, then it needs to be so widespread that it squeezes the pockets of the guilty, greedy capitalists, for whom human life means nothing.
And second, stop criticising others based on your own personal ignorant convictions.
If the latter continues, then your principles are misdirected and your moral compass needs adjusting.
Otherwise your activism is more about satisfying your own need to be seen protesting and not about the people you are supposedly trying to help.
I’m not saying that you should incinerate your iPhone, shred your Nikes and go back to using paper maps.
What I am saying is don’t act against someone who did something that offends your sense of justice, when we are all doing a whole lot more on a daily basis that directly results in the ongoing bombing of defenceless Palestinian children.
Yes, unconsciously, but now that you know, will you actually do something about it, or is it too inconvenient to your lifestyle?
Will you make others aware and encourage them to stop giving money to people to make bombs that drop on Gaza?