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Pro-Israel Panty Protest May Have A Problem
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 30, 2011
Modified Mar 30, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 30, 2011
Modified Mar 30, 2011
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As the pro-Palestine Global BDS Day of Action on Land Day draws to a close, we'd like to take this opportunity to point out that the counterprotest today is a lot more complex than originally understood. To recap, thousands of pro-Palestine activists are protesting around the globe today and calling for people to boycott companies like Victoria's Secret, which supposedly makes some of its clothes in Israel. To protest the protest, a pro-Israel group promised to send "sexy Israel supporters" to hand out Victoria Secret panties in Union Square Park, to encourage people to support Israel by supporting the lingerie company. But if the blog Jewish FAIL is to believed, there is actually a rather perverse irony to all of this.
As Jewish FAIL tells it, after "receiving fabric from Israel, the undergarments are actually made by Palestinian women and foreign workers in Jordan who toil under brutal, intolerable conditions and then sew 'Made in Israel' tags onto their work. The underwear is then returned to Israel, which exports it to the U.S. Yay, exploited labor masquerading as economic cooperation!"
Sure, those links are old, but if any of this is true, doesn't it also mean that Israel and Palestine have the capacity to work together toward the common good? Lingerie is a small step, but what if they can embrace this working relationship and build on it? Today thongs, tomorrow body oil, and who knows, one day soon Israelis and Palestinians could be dancing side-by-side in elaborately choreographed flash mobs for peace.
Tagged
BDS
israel
palestine
victoria's secret
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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