Israeli exports hit by boycotts

Over the years, there have been several groups and countries that have called for boycotts of Israel and Israeli goods. This has varied from academic boycotts, to divestment, to boycotts of sport venues. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is an advocate of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. But a new report by The Guardian (UK) indicates that Israeli companies are starting to feel the effects of the boycott, with a drop in demand for Israeli exports since the war on Gaza. This is from The Guardian’s report, Israeli exports hit by Euroopean boycotts after attacks on Gaza:

Last week, the Israel Manufacturers Association reported that 21% of 90 local exporters who were questioned had felt a drop in demand due to boycotts, mostly from the UK and Scandinavian countries. Last month, a report from the Israel Export Institute reported that 10% of 400 polled exporters received order cancellation notices this year, because of Israel's assault on Gaza.

"There is no doubt that a red light has been switched on," Dan Katrivas, head of the foreign trade department at the Israel Manufacturers Association, told Maariv newspaper this week. "We are closely following what's happening with exporters who are running into problems with boycotts." He added that in Britain there exists "a special problem regarding the export of agricultural produce from Israel".

The Israeli financial press has reported on the growing boycott. One economics journalist was upset with the Trade and Industry minister for telling the Israeli army to “destroy one hundred homes” for every rocket fired into Israel. This journalist said that the minister did not understand “how much the operation in Gaza is hurting the economy.” He said that the images on TV that came out of Gaza, plus the statements from politicians in Europe and Turkey are changing the behavior of consumers.

The article in The Guardian goes on to detail other economic repercussions from the war on Gaza. One example is Israelis with business interests in Turkey who hope to remain anonymous. Another is British retailers being asked to remove Israeli merchandise.

Some experts said that the results of a boycott are hard to ascertain among a global economic downturn.

Meanwhile, a UN official is still pleading with Israel to open the borders to Gaza. He says the amount of goods that Israel permits into Gaza is totally inadequate. Cement and steel are among the products not allowed into Gaza, which means there is no rebuilding of the 5,000 homes destroyed and many more damaged. John Ging, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, said this:

"It's having a very devastating impact on the physical circumstances and also the mindset of people on the ground."

He said access to goods is a major problem:

"We need access," he said. "It's the number one issue. It's the number two issue. It's the number three issue, and so on. Until we get it, there's nothing as important as solving the access issue."

Further down in this article, they mention the Hamas civil war with Fatah, without a mention of the role the US and Israel played in fermenting that ‘civil war’.

The BBC reports that there is “Little hope in Gaza aftermath”. The people in Gaza are very poor, and life got very much harder after the Israeli assault. Over 35,000 do not have running water, thousands are living in tents. Hundreds of private businesses are destroyed. Many medications are gone in Gaza hospitals, and 80% of the population is living on less than $2 per day. The article makes this statement:

In this part of the Middle East one of the most damaging consequences of the last years of bloodshed has been the loss of hope.

I met Raad al-Athamna, a taxi driver and father of seven children, who stood on a low pile of rubble that was his house until Israeli forces destroyed it.

He thumbed through photos of a decent home surrounded by mature trees, children playing in Gaza's dusty sunshine and doing their school studies.

Raad worked hard to create that life for his family, which has now gone.

Now his 12-year-old boy wets the bed every night, another child sleepwalks and his eldest girl, once a star pupil, has nowhere to study and cries when she thinks about the future.

The world is watching. God is watching.