Stopping Rumors

During the Open Forum at the January 2009 General Meeting a member asked what products we carry from Israel and suggested the coop join BDS.  The Forward wrote an article about it, which read as if joining BDS was a serious consideration.  The news spread like wildfire across the internet.  Of course, nothing came of it, except for a series of letters in the Linewaiters' Gazette.

As far as I know, no one has submitted an agenda item.  I intend to stay on top of it and I hope it will never get that far.  So please, don't start rumors that the coop is considering BDS.

Speaking of rumors, Judge Richard Goldstone, author of the eponymously known report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, wrote an op-ed in Friday's Washington Post.  He now says that his most serious allegation against Israel, that civilians were intentionally targeted, is unsubstantiated.

The Goldstone Report is a seriously flawed document.  Anyone honestly interested in peace should read intelligent articles that  illuminate the principles of international law that apply and  analyze the shortcomings of the report.  This article, by Peter Berkowitz, a review of a recent publication of the Goldstone Report and related essays, is a good place to start.  It is important to read these sorts of articles because too many people throw around terms in ways that show they don't what they are talking about.