I've not forgotten that we're meant to be discussing what to boycott (see here) and now seems an appropriate time to discuss the reasons for boycotting Israeli goods, particularly as I'm currently engaged in sticking up "Boycott Israeli Goods" stickers all over town.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (here) states that;
"Israel has committed war crimes that should be more than sufficient to invite at least unequivocal condemnation from the United Nations and world powers and their stern backing for an immediate cease-fire. Instead, the UN Security Council, toeing the US line, decided to give Israel ample time to “finish the job,” destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure and killing and maiming its civilians to a degree that would turn the Lebanese public against the resistance movement and bolster Israel’s designs for pushing this resistance outside of southern Lebanon."
If there is a case for boycotts working then there seems few boycotts more apporpriate at the current time than that of Israeli goods. In the absence of pressure from the institutions of international government our only recourse is to try to exert pressure from the base as part of a strategy to meet the following demands;
"1. Ending [Israel's] occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
"2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
"3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194."
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (here) and the Liverpool dockers (here) support the Boycott Israeli Goods campaign (here) who's stickers I've been putting up. You can tell a product is from Israel by the bar code - if it starts with 729 then don't buy it.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
729 means made in Israel
Labels: Boycotts, Middle East
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4 comments:
A boycott is very difficult to organize, from my experience, particularly when few are even aware of it.
This is wimpy, but I can go either way on that issue.
Thankfully I don't need to organise it!
I think in the UK there has been quite a bit of national coverage, particularly of the academic boycott (although I have no way of participating in that) and this is a "good" time to make a boycott like this more widespread.
Certainly everyone is feeling very bad about what is going on and as a part of the wider struggle I think this could have some effect.
It certainly seems to have more value that my MacDonalds boycott...
PS thanks for being wimpy! We need more of this as a counter weight to left macho postering and I know everything-ism.
FYI-Patagonia underwear, yes the popular American outdoor brand, is made in Israel.
In this post I used a particualr image - that of an orange dripping with blood. On reflection I have decided that I will no longer be using this image.
I'll not eradicate it from this post - as it stands as a "historical document", if that's too pompous, and I'm not ashamed to change my mind on something.
In this post I talk about the boycott in more detail.
This image, which could be seen to draw imagery from the anti-semitic myth of the blood libel, could well cause offense - drawing the argument away from the nature and actions of the Israeli state and towards a more sterile and entrenched discussion where those who are providing solidarity with the Palestinians are labelled as anti-semitic.
Anti-semitism exists and we should combat it where ever it raises its head - which makes it doubly important not to use an image that some could take in the wrong way.
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