To Boycott or to Bed?

That is the question:

"The Greens have refused to retract a statement on their website that misleadingly denies they intend to push for a statewide boycott of Israel if they are successful at the NSW election on Saturday. Fiona Byrne, the Greens candidate in the inner-western Sydney seat of Marrickville, posted the statement last week after The Australian reported she planned to push for NSW to support the anti-Israel global boycott, divestments and sanctions movement (GBDS) if she is elected... Labor campaign spokesman Luke Foley... said... 'Her boycott policy is divisive and destructive'." (Greens Israel boycott confusion, Imre Salusinzky, The Australian, 22/3/11)

OMG! The Greens believe in boycotting the apartheid state!

Shouldn't they be bedding it instead, like NSW Labor:

"According to the [Labor] party, 'Industry & Investment NSW has been in discussions with the [Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce] regarding a memorandum of understanding for research and development technology over the last 12 months'. These discussions have included both Eric Roozendaal in his capacity as Minister for State Development and Jodi McKay, the Minister for Science and Medical Research. 'While an agreement has not yet been reached, it is anticipated the further steps in negotiations would take place in the middle of the year'." (Labor's Israel trade plan, The Australian Jewish News, 4/3/11)

And wouldn't it be safer for NSW to bed Israel - considering that, if we boycott, we might end up on the wrong side of the feared Israel Defense Forces:

"Military Intelligence is collecting information about left-wing organizations abroad that the army sees as aiming to delegitimize Israel, according to senior Israeli officials and Israel Defense Forces officers... The new MI unit will monitor western groups involved in boycotting Israel, divesting from it or imposing sanctions on it." (Military Intelligence monitoring foreign left-wing organizations, Barak Ravid, Haaretz, 21/3/11)

See what I mean? If you thought Mossad purloining our passports last year was a bit of a worry, what about the prospect of MI rifling through our drawers and filing cabinets this year?