Plz ban Israeli products You may be surprised to learn that many of your favorite products used daily in your home and at your job, are produced and manufactured in, yes, Israel! And the entities behind the brand names happen to do business in an area of the tiny nation—East Jerusalem and the West Bank—where contentious disputes over historical land rights between Israelis and Palestinians have escalated to, well, Biblical proportions. Arising out of this heated debate is a sweeping contagion of concrete boycotting actions being carried out against the companies who are doing business in this region and who directly or indirectly benefit Israel. When reviewing the vast innovative contributions Israeli companies continue to make in all aspects of research, development and production of goods the world heavily relies on, it becomes quickly evident that these products benefit all of us, and one has to ask if broad scale participation in these boycotts is nothing short of proverbially “cutting off your nose to spite your face”. Proctor & Gamble, the producer of Pampers, is one of the largest clients of Avgol Nonwoven Industries, a diaper products company that operates a plant in the West Bank Settlement area of Ariel, and represents half of their sales. Intel, whose processors can be found in 80 percent of the world’s computers, runs plants in Kiryat Gat, a former Palestinian village site, and has reportedly invested $2.7 billion for upgrades at the plant sites, where new chips are being developed to make computers lighter and faster. The company has invested a total of $10 billion in Israel, and in return, has received more than $1 billion in Israeli government grants. Last month, Motorola, signed a $100 million deal with Israel for encrypted smartphones that will be supplied to Israeli soldiers and security personnel. In addition, the electronics giant is providing surveillance equipment used around Israeli settlements, along its separation barrier, and at the Israel-Gaza border. Computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard (HP) provides biometric technology for Israeli ID cards and at Israeli checkpoints, and uses service providers located in Israeli settlements. Cosmetics (Ahava), lingerie (Victoria’s Secret), hummus (Tribe and Sabra), burgers (McDonalds), automobiles (Volvo), not to mention thousands of other products that contain or use Israeli-developed technology, including iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Skype, computer firewalls, and Microsoft XP, are being exported all over the planet. These companies are being systematically targeted by The BDS, a Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement which has been around since 2005, and is adding fuel to the fire with its influence on popular discontent with Israel and the group’s increasing pressure on businesses and governments throughout Europe to take more concrete action. The movement has some “legs” to it, due to the worsening public opinion of Israel in Europe. According to a 2013 BBC poll, favorability ratings dropped 8 percent in both Spain and Germany, to single digits. And only 14 percent of citizens in the UK expressed a positive view of Israel, despite Britain being the first European country to formally support the establishment of a Jewish state. The European Union, long known to disagree with Israel’s policies concerning its settlement territories in the West Bank, has recently stepped up its rhetoric and actions by promoting and participating in the BDS-led boycott of goods produced and companies operating in the disputed settlements region of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The seemingly concerted effort has moved beyond mere symbolic gesturing. Israel has begun to experience the “bite” of these latest efforts to sanction the Holy Land. The EU is Israels No. 1 trading partner and accounts for almost a third of its total trade. Jordan Valley produce in particular has been a successful export to the European continent, but it is grown and harvested on land that a growing number of European consumers believe Israel illegally confiscated in
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 22:59:19 +0000
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