UK Disabled Students’ Group Endorses BDS By Marilyn Penn
http://politicalmavens.com/
There are many adjectives that have been used to amplify anti-semitism — racist, bigoted, ignorant, evil – but never has a situation so perfectly demanded the word “ironic.” The UK Disabled Students Campaign which affiliates with the UK National Union of Students issued the following resolution at their annual conference: “We are proudly antiracist, anti-colonial, anti-Zionist and thus support the Palestinian struggle for their liberation.” Ironically, Israel is at the forefront of technological development to assist disabled and severely handicapped people throughout the world. Had the students bothered to google prosthetic devices or medical technology developed by Israel, they might have thought twice before espousing something that if successful, would end up shooting themselves in the proverbial foot with their knee-jerk intersectionalism.
The keyboard that allowed paralyzed UK physicist/cosmologist Stephen Hawking to type with nothing more than the movement of his eyes was developed by Israelis and fine-tuned at the Technion Institute in Israel. The computerized exoskeleton that allows paralyzed people to stand upright and walk – the only one that successfully achieved this miracle – was developed by Israelis. The mini-camera that can be swallowed for assistance with diagnosing disabling gastro-intestinal diseases, prosthetic limbs, devices for seeing, hearing, speaking and healing after strokes , all are part of Israel’s innovative contributions to the fields of medicine and physical therapy.
While the Arab world has been exclusively preoccupied with destroying Israel, that tiny country has continued to turn out voluminous examples of new procedures and devices to help mankind, including the Palestinians who attack them and end up in Israeli hospitals for sophisticated medical help. Israel routinely sends teams of doctors and supplies to assist in international disasters from floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. And while BDS looks to boycott, divest and sanction to destroy Israel economically and culturally, Israel steadfastly adheres to its biblical mandate to help repair the world.
Perhaps before their next conference, a committee of disabled UK students should travel to Israel to see for themselves that it is neither racist nor colonial nor the stumbling block to Palestinian advancement to statehood. One thing they can be sure of is that they will undoubtedly find better examples of whatever they need to help them with their own disabilities, including the opportunity to see the truth for themselves instead of hateful propaganda.
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