This Document Contents an Introduction to Boycott Israeli Products. But the main goal is to show the effects on Israel Finance. This document is to break the International censorship to the effects data:
The global movement for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and
Palestinian rights was initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005, and is
coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), established in
2007. BDS is a strategy that allows people of conscience to play an effective
role in the Palestinian struggle for justice.
For decades, Israel has denied Palestinians their
fundamental rights of freedom, equality, and self-determination through ethnic
cleansing, colonization, racial discrimination, and military occupation.
Despite abundant condemnation of Israeli policies by the UN, other
international bodies, and preeminent human rights organizations, the world
community has failed to hold Israel accountable and enforce compliance with
basic principles of law. Israel’s crimes have continued with impunity.
In view of this continued failure, Palestinian civil society
called for a global citizens’ response.On July 9 2005, a year after the
International Court of Justice’s historic advisory opinion on the illegality of
Israel’s Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), a clear majority
of Palestinian civil society called upon their counterparts and people of
conscience all over the world to launch broad boycotts, implement divestment
initiatives, and to demand sanctions against Israel, until Palestinian rights
are recognized in full compliance with international law.
The campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) is
shaped by a rights-based approach and highlights the three broad sections of
the Palestinian people: the refugees, those under military occupation in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinians in Israel. The call urges various
forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under
international law by:
Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands
occupied in June 1967 and dismantling the Wall;
Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian
citizens of Israel to full equality; and
Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of
Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in
UN Resolution 194.
The BDS call was endorsed by over 170 Palestinian political
parties, organizations, trade unions and movements. The signatories represent
the refugees, Palestinians in the OPT, and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Boycotts target products and companies (Israeli and
international) that profit from the violation of Palestinian rights, as well as
Israeli sporting, cultural and academic institutions. Anyone can boycott
Israeli goods, simply by making sure that they don’t buy produce made in Israel
or by Israeli companies. Campaigners and groups call on consumers not to buy
Israeli goods and on businesses not to buy or sell them.
Israeli cultural and academic institutions directly
contribute to maintaining, defending or whitewashing the oppression of
Palestinians, as Israel deliberately tries to boost its image internationally
through academic and cultural collaborations. As part of the boycott,
academics, artists and consumers are campaigning against such collaboration and
‘rebranding’. A growing number of artists have refused to exhibit or play in
Israel.
Divestment means targeting corporations complicit in the
violation of Palestinian rights and ensuring that the likes of university
investment portfolios and pension funds are not used to finance such companies.
These efforts raise awareness about the reality of Israel’s policies and encourage
companies to use their economic influence to pressure Israel to end its
systematic denial of Palestinian rights.
Sanctions are an essential part of demonstrating disapproval
for a country’s actions. Israel’s membership of various diplomatic and economic
forums provides both an unmerited veneer of respectability and material support
for its crimes. By calling for sanctions against Israel, campaigners educate
society about violations of international law and seek to end the complicity of
other nations in these violations.
Have BDS succeeded?
Ynetnews special: Anti-Israel
boycotters increasingly successful in strangling economy of Jewish state: More
than 20 organizations in Europe in 13 countries endorse boycott of Agrexco,
Israel’s leading flower exporter
The first symbol of the
anti-Israel economic campaign, Caterpillar, was far removed from the Western
public consciousness. Yet Israeli roses were a better Jewish scapegoat, as
flowers are a pillar of Israel’s economy (in the 1980s Israel became the
world’s number two flower exporter. Agrexco was boycotted because it’s
partially owned by the Israeli government and because the company has some
farms in the Jordan Valley and in Tekoa, a settlement at the gates of the
Judean desert.
Last year, Norway’s oil
fund withdrew its investment from Africa-Israel and Danya Cebus citing their
involvement in “settlement construction.” Just recently, the Swedish Coop has
decided to terminate all purchases of Soda Stream carbonation devices.
Meanwhile, the Methodist Church had passed an “anti-Israel” motion demanding a
boycott of goods from “illegal” settlements. Quakers in Britain have also
agreed to boycott Israeli products.
Elsewhere, major Dutch
pension fund Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn, which has investments totaling 97
billion euros, has divested from almost all the Israeli companies in its
portfolio (banks, telecommunication companies, construction companies and Elbit
Systems.) A large Swedish pension fund also divested from Elbit over the
latter’s role in building Israel’s West Bank security fence. Meanwhile, the
Ethical Council of four Swedish buffer pension funds urged Motorola “to pull
out of the Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank” or face divestment.
On the cultural front, a
film festival in Scotland returned funding to the Israeli Embassy after
succumbing to boycott activists who threatened to picket the event. Elsewhere,
some major Indian artists have announced the boycott of a show scheduled at the
Tel Aviv State Museum in the spring of 2012. Dozens of music stars also
endorsed the boycott this past year (Elvis Costello, Gil Scott-Heron, and Roger
Waters).
Findings by the Israeli Union of Industrialists revealed that following the attack on Gaza, one in five Israeli exporters are having difficulty selling abroad due to the boycott. Yair Rotloi, chairman of the association's foreign-trade committee revealed "21 percent of local exporters report that they are facing problems in selling Israeli goods because of an anti-Israel boycott, mainly from the UK and Scandinavian countries". The Israel Export Institute reported in Feb 2009 that 10% of Israeli exporters were receiving order cancellations due to the boycott. The boycott coupled with the economic climate has forced 66% of Israeli exporters to slash prices, and they have called for government intervention to protect them from a growing boycott. In Feb 2009 Israel’s daily finance paper, the Marker, in an article titled "Now heads are lowered as we wait for the storm to blow over" reported that Israeli businessmen were in hiding, trying to "remain anonymous to avoid arousing the attention of pro-boycott groups".The situation is so bad that it has led some exporters and retailers in Europe to falsify the country of origin on the packaging of Israeli goods. The Cyprus Mail newspaper reported on 19th March 2009: "A leading German supermarket yesterday admitted to effectively misleading European consumers by selling re-labeled Israeli Grapefruit as a product of Cyprus before passing it on to the public. The decision to pass off the Israeli fruit by the German ALDI chain came after a widespread boycott of Israeli goods in the aftermath of the Israel’s invasion into Gaza in December. Since then, shoppers across Ireland especially, have been turning their backs on Israeli goods such as fruit, vegetables and electronics and it is thought that stockpiles of Israeli produce are rotting at supply depots." Amid fears that this scam could lead to genuine Cypriot produce being boycotted, farming unions in Cyprus are furious and the Cypriot ambassador to Ireland, Sotos A. Liassides has referred the matter back to his government for vigorous action commenting that Aldi are "trying desperately to get rid of their (Israeli) stock by presenting it as Cypriot." Environmental Health Officers from the Health Service Executive who are under contract to Food Safety Authority of Ireland have also become involved in the issue as it breaches EU regulations on food labeling.
A few weeks later, in April 2009, another Irish supermarket chain, Dunnes Stores, was caught in a similar scam of palming off Israeli grapefruits to customers as Cypriot. Seasoned campaigners will recall that Dunnes Stores was the site of a historic victory in the struggle against South African apartheid when on July 19, 1984 a 21 year old till worker, Mary Manning, courageously refused to handle two South African Outspan grapefruits which resulted in a bitter strike lasting nearly three years, before forcing the Irish governments hand to imposing a total ban on the importation of South African goods. Twenty years after the strike the city of Dublin honored the strikers with a commemorative plaque outside the store and today there is a street in Johannesburg named after Mary. Nelson Mandela recalled: "Young workers who refused to handle the fruits of apartheid 21 years ago in Dublin provided inspiration to millions of South Africans that ordinary people far away from the crucible of apartheid cared for our freedom"
Non-Israeli companies who fear 'boycott by association' are taking action to distance them. In January 2009 El Al's website ran a promotion stating: "Now, more than ever is the time to come to Israel. Come express your solidarity with Israel. Fly with EL AL and receive 3 or 4 day car rental for free!” The advert had a clearly visible Hertz logo. Hertz were furious and demanded El Al immediately removes their logo from the advert. Their spokesman stressed that Hertz had not been aware of the promotion being run by EL AL and did not want to be associated with it, further they "regret if any individuals were offended by the language that EL AL used to promote this offer".
Another example of such pre-emptive action is that of Lidl and Aldi. During the attack on Gaza, chain SMS's and emails had circulated claiming that "Lidl and Aldi supermarkets declared publicly on TV from their HQ's in Germany that they will donate all their takings/ revenue to Israel during this war on Gaza." Normal company practice would have been to ignore such chain mail, but both companies fearing a mass consumer boycott immediately issued press releases that they do not fund Israel. The Adli press release read "Aldi confirms that it does not provide Israel with any source of financial funding or support the Israel – Gaza conflict. Aldi has never declared that it will donate store revenue to Israel during the conflict and any such claims are completely untrue."
Some companies are themselves taking the moral stand and boycotting Israel. On 30th December 2009, a British telecommunications firm FreedomCall terminated its cooperation with Israel's MobileMax. Richard Ramsey, the managing director of FreedomCall, sent an e-mail to the Israeli tech firm MobileMax. "As a result of the Israeli government action in the last few days we will no longer be in a position to consider doing business with yourself or any other Israeli company." MobileMax CEO Raanan Cohen was shocked by the boycott "We weren't expecting this from them and there was no prior warning.”
In January 2009 Israeli news Ynet reported that a London based Pashmina Company was refusing on-line orders from Israel, email correspondence revealed they had joined the boycott of Israel due to "horrors committed by the Israeli army."
Is the public ready to
boycott?
A survey conducted for the
Jewish Chronicle in January 2009 found
that 47% of British people support the Palestinian position compared to just
22% who support the Israeli line. Nearly 1 in 3 British people (29%) are in favor
of boycotting Israeli goods, and of those who aren't sure(30%) or feel its a
bad idea(41%), most reason that sanctions would have no effect(48%) or worry
that it would just harden the Israeli position(14%). This survey clearly shows
that British people empathize with the Palestinians and are willing to boycott
Israeli goods but need encouragement and convincing that it will make a difference.
http://www.bdsmovement.net/bdsintro
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4115718,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/03/israel-gaza-attacks-boycotts-food-industry
http://www.thejc.com/articles/boycott-helpline-tesco
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238354477394&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.alternativenews.org/content/view/1665/104/
http://markets.themarker.com/tmc/article.jhtml?ElementId=oc20090329_97785
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hertz-withdraws-from-israeli-airline-deal-1418248.html
Shunned Israeli fruit being sold as Cypriot, March 19, 2009, by Nathan Morley
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=44677&archive=1
Fraudulent Aldi are selling Israeli grapefruit labeled: "Produce of Cyprus"
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/91559
http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=40192
http://www.inminds.co.uk/article.php?id=10273
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3651655,00.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3648346,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/10/naomi-klein-boycott-israel
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/24/palestinian-olive-oil
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