Don't boycott Starbucks

Last week, members of Students for Justice in Palestine distributed flyers in front of the Starbucks coffeehouse on S. Indiana Ave. urging students and community members to boycott the chain. Why? The SJP members had a bone to pick with the chairman and chief global strategist of Starbucks, Howard Schultz (an American Jew) because of the vocal and financial support he's given to the State of Israel. \nTo boycott a company because its chairman stands behind the only democracy in the Middle East (not to mention the most reliable American ally in that region) goes against our American values. Furthermore, a boycott of Starbucks would cause the company's many charitable programs to lose money. The attempt by SJP to start a boycott in Bloomington is not only anti-Semitic in nature but morally corrupt. \nFirst, it's important to distinguish between constructive criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism. Criticizing Israel's foreign and domestic policies isn't anti-Semitic. To single out Israel as the only country where companies shouldn't invest is anti-Semitic. Heaping blame for the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflicts onto Israel, without mentioning the human rights abuses committed by the Arab states and the Palestinian Authority, is anti-Semitic. \nAnyone who supports a democratic American ally like Israel should be publicly commended, and Schultz is no exception. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that allows its citizens a basic right that we in the U.S. take for granted -- the right to vote. \nAs for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, let the facts speak for themselves. Israel is by no means the only country occupying lands inhabited by people who want independence. Turkey, Iraq, Syria, France, China and Russia are also doing so. But what separates Israel from these countries is it's has been the only nation to offer statehood to the people living in the territories it controls. In 2000, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat all of Gaza, 95 percent of the West Bank and all of East Jerusalem to create an independent Palestine at Camp David. Unfortunately, Arafat and his negotiating team not only rejected Barak's offer, but didn't even try to work with Barak to amend it. The Palestinian response to the Israeli offer of statehood has not been a peaceful one. Instead, it has been manifested in a campaign of terrorism targeting Israeli soldiers and civilians alike for over two years. \nPainting cruel lies about the only Jewish state in the world, a Starbucks boycott would hurt the communities that the corporation has assisted through a variety of social and charitable initiatives. The Starbucks Foundation has donated $1 million over a period of four years to the Jumpstart program, helping give children from low-income families the skills needed to begin school. Starbucks hasn't only donated money to Jumpstart, it also co-sponsors the annual "All Books for Children" book drive with the organization in September. \nAnother Starbucks program aimed at giving back to the public is the Make Your Mark initiative. The initiative matches the number of hours that Starbucks employees volunteer in their communities with cash donations to local non-profit groups.\nThe boycott of Starbucks that SJP members desire is not only anti-Semitic and anti-American, but would also drain money from important programs. The next time you spot an SJP member handing out flyers about Starbucks, march into the coffeehouse on S. Indiana Ave. and order two cups of coffee instead of one.