I must confess that I
get that warm, fuzzy feeling when I think about Iceland. I still
remember the famous Fischer-Spassky
match for the World Chess Championship in 1972 in Reykjavik. Having a chess championship in Reykjavik is not startling; Iceland produces strong chess players
despite being a small country (long, hard winters make a good chess-playing environment). A few years later, I
had a short stopover in the city. The people were extremely friendly, and although prices were high, I bought an excellent all-wool sweater that I still have today.
Icelandic wool was especially famous.
With contemporary Iceland, however, what is prominent for me is its anti-Israel stance. On the Israel boycott issue, the latest development is that the city of Reykjavik changed its all-Israeli-products boycott to an "occupied territories" products boycott (can someone remind me who was governing those territories before we happened to 'occupy' them, because it was certainly not the Palestinians).
In an effort to understand Iceland's pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel position, I did a little research. Out of a total population of about 330K, there are only 875 Muslims in Iceland in 2015, and they come from diverse backgrounds: the Arab world, Albania, Africa, and Iceland. With regard to Jews, there are 50-150 in Iceland, some of them Israelis. Based on the numbers, it seems that neither group can provide much clout at the ballot box. In other words, the boycott issue was not a direct appeal to an ethnic group.
Now, being "anti-occupied territories" and pro-Palestinian is very trendy. The popular image is that Israel is 'strong' and the Palestinians are 'weak'. If you are an Icelandic politician and want to garner visibility because you are ambitious or out-of-power, this would seem to be a good 'moral' issue. After all, look at all the attention that the mayor of Reykjavik got. Fortunately, commentator Bennedikt Johanssen informs us, the city council's amateurish back-peddling and daily changes of policy have largely discredited the Reykjavik city council and its mayor
So, here we have it. Decades of poor public relations has taken its toll even in a small, faraway land with a minuscule Muslim population.
Finally, it is noteworthy that dedicated Israelis living in Iceland are making an effort to improve Israel's image. Ron and Maayan inform us that they had some Icelanders visit Israel, and as a result they became goodwill ambassadors for Israel in Iceland. Kol HaKavod.
With contemporary Iceland, however, what is prominent for me is its anti-Israel stance. On the Israel boycott issue, the latest development is that the city of Reykjavik changed its all-Israeli-products boycott to an "occupied territories" products boycott (can someone remind me who was governing those territories before we happened to 'occupy' them, because it was certainly not the Palestinians).
In an effort to understand Iceland's pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel position, I did a little research. Out of a total population of about 330K, there are only 875 Muslims in Iceland in 2015, and they come from diverse backgrounds: the Arab world, Albania, Africa, and Iceland. With regard to Jews, there are 50-150 in Iceland, some of them Israelis. Based on the numbers, it seems that neither group can provide much clout at the ballot box. In other words, the boycott issue was not a direct appeal to an ethnic group.
Now, being "anti-occupied territories" and pro-Palestinian is very trendy. The popular image is that Israel is 'strong' and the Palestinians are 'weak'. If you are an Icelandic politician and want to garner visibility because you are ambitious or out-of-power, this would seem to be a good 'moral' issue. After all, look at all the attention that the mayor of Reykjavik got. Fortunately, commentator Bennedikt Johanssen informs us, the city council's amateurish back-peddling and daily changes of policy have largely discredited the Reykjavik city council and its mayor
So, here we have it. Decades of poor public relations has taken its toll even in a small, faraway land with a minuscule Muslim population.
Finally, it is noteworthy that dedicated Israelis living in Iceland are making an effort to improve Israel's image. Ron and Maayan inform us that they had some Icelanders visit Israel, and as a result they became goodwill ambassadors for Israel in Iceland. Kol HaKavod.
No comments:
Post a Comment