Lending BDS an unwitting hand

Amos Oz is the greatest Israeli novelist since Shmuel Yosef Agnon. He is also a Zionist, as evident from his novels.

Agnon was awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature, but that, of course, was before the 1967 Six-Day War, and it's doubtful his genius would be so publicly recognized today. Oz has been snubbed by the Nobel Prize Committee more than once. After all, if "A Tale of Love and Darkness" is not Nobel-worthy, what is? Oz is a victim of the ever-fashionable anti-Semitism in Europe, which cannot stomach his patriotism.

Nevertheless, being a Zionist has also made Oz a victim of the far Left. The Israel-hostile fringe cannot forgive the acclaimed author for having his voice heard in liberal Western circles otherwise closed off to the Jewish state. The far Left is also furious at Oz for daring to criticize the Palestinian terrorist groups during the last few military campaigns in the Gaza Strip, instead of directing his criticism exclusively at Israel.

On Thursday we learned that for several months now, Oz has been declining invitations to attend events hosted by Israeli embassies.

His decision may stem from two motives: The first is that he secretly hopes that this covert boycott would improve his chances of winning the elusive Nobel Prize, the decision on which lies with the Scandinavians, who are even more hostile toward Israel than their European counterparts. Personally, I refuse to subscribe to such an embarrassing reason.

The second reason may be that Oz has simply had enough of the government's indecision regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which is legitimate. Many of his claims on this issue are well-founded, after all, and Oz does not exempt the Palestinians of their part in the negotiations debacle.

Still, boycotting official Israeli cultural events only lends the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement a helping hand in its efforts to exclude Israel from the international community. Oz is the last person who wants to see Israel isolated, and he does not wish to herald exclusion. It is more likely that he has become an unwitting partner to this tale of darkness.