So Lana Del Rey made an about-face and chose to cancel her participation in an Israeli music festival. Some 10 other performers have also said they would not come, bowing to the pressure of the boycott, divestment and sanction movement and Roger Waters. Yes, her decision may hurt a bit and may generate heavy losses to the organizers but this is hardly a crushing blow on a national level.
People like to portray the BDS movement as a big demon that threatens the very existence of the state. When politicians talk about it, they suddenly put on a serious façade, as if a military operation is underway behind enemy lines.
Everyone seems to be fighting the movement. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid took this a step further and has become a crusader against the movement, flying everywhere as a self-appointed ambassador to make Israel's case.
Jewish groups are engaged in constant fundraising to fight the BDS groups on campuses and some have made this a focus of their activity.
The anti-BDS activity has become an industry of its own. Heavily funded militias are leading the charge, along with politicians who try to use this to advance their own agenda. On the way, they also target human rights group in Israel and beyond, whom they say provide fodder to the BDS movement.
But all those anti-BDS groups forget to mention one thing: The boycott movement does not threaten Israel. It has a limited effect on the world stage. In fact, for all its efforts, its greatest success has been in the form of making artists cancel their appearances in Israel, causing provocations when Israelis speak abroad, or convincing stores to boycott some Israeli products. This is not good but is far from tragic.
The movement says its goal is to "launch broad boycotts, implement divestment initiatives, and to demand sanctions against Israel until Palestinian rights are recognized in full compliance with international law."
The movement believes that only by dealing a serious cultural and economic blow on Israel will it change its policies toward the Palestinians.
It is a noisy and aggressive bunch and anti-Semitic at its core, it is driven by pure hatred and ignorance, but for all the noise it has been generating, its effect is hardly felt. Israel's economy is robust, Israeli startups are bought by international corporations all the time, and Israeli performers are well-respected worldwide.
So yes, there may be an occasional young protester who wraps himself with a Palestinian flag and shouts "Free Palestine" during Israeli events.
But after venting for a few minutes, he or she are whisked away by security and the event continues. I saw this first hand at the University of Maryland, during NBA games against Israeli teams and at venues where Israeli performers were on stage. These provocations always ended with a whimper.
Those who make this movement seem bigger than what it is are usually Israeli politicians and Jewish organizations, who see the movement as a useful tool to lash out against the Left or as a means of fundraising.
So Del Rey is not coming. Others may follow in her footsteps. This is not what will bring Israel down. Let's all just calm down.
