Caroline Lucas challenges Palestine Solidarity Campaign on pre-Israel map

Caroline Lucas has joined the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s growing number of critics.

The Jewish Chronicle reports:

“A statement issued by her office said: “It has been brought to my attention that the PSC logo appears to reflect 1917, pre-creation of Israel, borders and as such could be open to interpretation by some as implying non-recognition of Israel’s right to exist. I am following this up with the director of the PSC since I am quite sure that PSC does indeed recognise Israel’s right to exist, and it is unhelpful and damaging if any other impression is given.”

This is welcome, as MP for Hove Pavilion and long-time Palestine Solidarity Campaign supporter, she stands some chance of influencing them.

But it is also confusing. The Green Party targets Israel, and only Israel, with an eliminationist boycott policy. The terms which Israel must meet before the Green Party will lift this boycott policy also “as such could be open to interpretation by some as implying non-recognition of Israel’s right to exist”. They require Israel to dismantle its defences against murderous religious and secular nationalists who have been targeting Jewish civilians since before Israel came into existence.

Then there is the matter of up to 10 million people designated Palestinian refugees by the UN, descendants of the 800,000 who were displaced when the incipient Israel was attacked by its neighbours in 1948-9 (fewer than 460,000 of whom are still living). These Palestinian refugees were denied citizenship in many of the lands which received them (Jordan being an exception), where they served as political pawns. The Taba Accords allow the right of return to those born in Israel, with some affordance for family reunification. The Green Party’s boycott resolution demands that all 10 million are granted Israeli citizenship or compensated.

Pull that stunt at home and you wouldn’t get elected. People would correctly assume you intended to do away with the country. So why try it with Israel?

But it is good that Caroline Lucas is insisting on delineating a Palestinian state. Because the PSC aren’t the only ones with an interest in making it disappear.

More on the weird world of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign:

• Palestine Solidarity Campaign reject two motions against antisemitism proposed by anti-Zionist members.
• A PSC supporter explains what he thinks of Jews
• Reading PSC organised by somebody who insists that Jews control the media.
• West Midlands PSC has to take measures against antisemitic appreciation (see ‘PSC Lying Coward’s Double Standard’ at the ‘Palestinian Shoah’ site – no cached page available for this hate site: http://www.shoah.org.uk/2011/04/16/psc-lying-cowards-double-standard/).
• York PSC ‘commemorate’ the massacre of Jews in York
• PSC in bad company – Sheikh Raed “Jews warned away from the Twin Towers” Salah.
• De Linke withdraws PSC support for palestine solidarity campaigning because of antisemitism (update: this item shouldn’t really be here, since it refers not to the PSC, but the type of approaches espoused by the PSC)
• Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign remembers the Holocaust by blaming Zionists
• The SPSC and the Holocaust
• What is going on in the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign?
• What is it with the Scottish PSC?
• Scottish PSC and the Jerusalem Quartet
• Scottish PSC crows as Israelis are not boycotted but chased from Turkish basketball court
• What doesn’t motivate the SPSC
• Open antisemitism is challenging ‘antiracist’ anti-Zionism in the Palestine solidarity movement
• SPSC host Gilad Atzmon

Caroline Lucas will have her work cut out.