Wither Ralph Nader?

I found this short video from an action on May 10 at an Indigo bookstore in Canada:

The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid organized it (although it was really just a question that could have been answered instead of the refusal you see happen which leads to the louder interruption). The CAIA has been waging a boycott battle against the Chapters/Indigo chain (the Barnes&Noble of Canada) because the owners (one of who you see here interviewing Ralph Nader) donate and support the HESEG Foundation which gives scholarships to so-called “Lone Soldiers” in the Israeli military. A “Lone Soldier” is someone who does not have family ties to Israel, but serves in the Israeli military anyway.

Yeah, seriously, I’m not making that up.

This campaign has been going on for some time and it is surprising that Ralph Nader doesn’t know about it. Read more about the campaign here: http://www.caiaweb.org/indigoboycott. However, given the brevity of this video, I was curious if the CAIA cut the video off before Nader actually responded fully to the questions. Then I found this video of the same event that recorded the entire interruption:

This is the full text of what the questioner said before ad just after they pulled her microphone:

Uh, hi Ralph, my name is Lisa. I’m a huge fan of yours. I actually work for an organization that you founded, the P.I.R.G.’s. I have a question that relates to your political work, and I think it actually applies to you as well Heather. In 2005 the Green Party passed a resolution in favor of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign against Israel, against the Apartheid system in Israel. I’m wondering if you’re aware that Ms. Reisman here actually runs an organization called the HESEG Foundation, which essentially gives money to “Lone Soldiers” who choose to serve in the Israel military. I think all of us know here that the Israeli military - the crimes against humantiy they are responsible for. So I’m wondering what, maybe, you have to say about that - perhaps they’re cutting my mic now. [yelling off mic] Heather, I’m wondering if you can answer the question, Why do you support Apartheid in Israel?

What a disappointment. Ralph Nader had the opportunity to say the same things he has said for years, that the Israeli occupation must end, that it is the biggest obstacle to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the the Palestinians are oppressed by the Israeli state, and that they deserve their freedom and liberation. Instead he dodges the question and asserts that, since there are a handful of Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve (note: they refuse to serve in the occupied territories, very few of them have refused to serve altogether), the question is without merit. He implies that the protesters are not being balanced, which is a code word meaning “in compliance with the Israeli narrative of the conflict.”

Ralph, what are you talking about? Israel is stealing land from Palestinians and making their lives miserable to force them to leave. In May, a World Bank report (not a bastion of liberal politics, the World Bank) stated that:

Estimates of the total restricted area are difficult to come by, but it appears to be in excess of 50% of the land of the West Bank. While Israeli security concerns are undeniable and must be addressed, it is often difficult to reconcile the use of movement and access restrictions for security purposes from their use to expand and protect settlement activity and the relatively unhindered movement of settlers and other Israelis in and out of the West Bank. [.pdf]

This is Apartheid plain and simple. The store you visited to sell you book supports it and the woman interviewing you gives money to people who join another nations military and then engage in occupation operations. I think it is safe to say that if the US government had “Lone Soldiers” in the military in Iraq and a bookstore chain was giving them scholarship money for their “service”, you would have a problem with that and would not do appearances at their stores.

To add insult to injury, this event took place almost exactly one month before the 40th anniversary of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

What is the deal Ralph? Do you support boycotts to end Israeli Apartheid like they helped too do in South Africa, or would you rather sell books?