BDS is clearly a fail in the Middle East, but it’s alive in America - by Jonathan Tobin

The campaign to isolate Israel and its international endeavors has been an epic failure, but efforts to isolate pro-Israel U.S. Jews and to mainstream anti-Semitism continue.

Jonathan S. Tobin..
JNS.org
26 November '18..

BDS activists who think they are succeeding in isolating the State of Israel aren’t paying attention to the news. On Sunday, reports surfaced that negotiations about building a gas pipeline that connects Israel’s natural-gas resources to Cyprus, Greece and Italy have finally succeeded. The pipeline network will reportedly be the longest and deepest ever built. Initial estimates of the cost build it start at $7 billion.

And the good news for friends of Israel doesn’t stop there. And that should influence the way we think about BDS and its purpose.

Part of the background to this deal is the fact that the European Union invested $100 million in a feasibility study about importing Israeli natural gas to the continent. That’s why the plan, dubbed the EastMed Pipeline Project, will give both Cyprus and Israel preference over other potential importers of gas into Europe.

The project, which will hopefully be completed over the next five years, will provide Israel’s already prosperous economy with another boost. But the preference for Israeli imports also signals that Arab influence over Europe that is rooted in its ability to export oil and gas is waning. With Europeans wanting alternatives to both Arab and Iranian oil, as well as Russian natural gas, Israel will not only profit from the transaction; its standing as an important economy and a military power to be reckoned with will also grow.

The fact that Italy, Greece and Cyprus are now prepared to join Israel and Egypt in joint military and civil exercises to protect both the pipeline and regional security is equally important. Despite continued threats from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, the notion that the Jewish state stands alone no longer can be sustained.

(Continue to Full Column)

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