[lbo-talk] Re: Israeli boycott

Aaron Shuman maruta_us at yahoo.com
Mon Aug 7 06:43:38 PDT 2006


DH: I see the lead story in the weekend Counterpunch <http:// www.counterpunch.org> is a polemic in favor of a boycott of Israel, written by an American academic living in S Africa, Virginia Tilley. Isn't it odd for an American to call for such, given our support of Israel?

AS: Not necessarily; she's certainly not the first person. She mentions Ilan Pappe, whose support for divestment, along with the measured support of Jewish Voice for Peace, and an opponent, is featured here.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=7741 "Boycott Israel?" (4/05)

It's good to see JVP state, "even though we do not think generic sanctions campaigns are effective at this time, we continue to reject the absurd charge that they are inherently anti-Semitic." That explicit rejection of "inherent anti-Semitism" is important.

What's weird is that she has people Googling for allies rather than refer specifically to any of the U.S.-based organizations that have pushed for divestment since 9/11, such as Stop U.S. Taxpayer Aid to Israel Now! or Students for Justice in Palestine. Don't know what happened to them; maybe the Left purge of "anti-Semitism" helped take them down. The JVP piece offers its summary of recent divestment campaigns, including the grocery store boycott Joel mentioned here in June.

DH: Should we boycott ourselves? How?

Doug

AS: Well, Tilley had a suggestion (see hers below.). The U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation has its action alert around using the U.S. Arms Export Control Act as a first step towards cutting off weapons shipments. http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1251 I've heard stories of people leafletting outside U.S. weapons manufacturers urging workers to stop U.S. arms sales to Israel. More suggestions?

aaron

(from Tilley) Boycott the Hegemon

This is the moment to turn international pressure on the complicit US, too. It's impossible, today, to exert an effective boycott on the United States, as its products are far too ubiquitous in our lives. But it's quick and easy to launch a boycott of emblematic US products, upsetting its major corporations. It's especially easy to boycott the great global consumables, like Coca-Cola, MacDonald's, Burger King, and KFC, whose leverage has brought anti-democratic pressures on governments the world over. (Through ugly monopoly practices, Coke is a nasty player in developing countries anyway: see, for example, http://www.killercoke.org.) Think you'll miss these foods too much? Is consuming something else for a while too much of a sacrifice, given what is happening to people in Lebanon? And think of the local products you'll be supporting! (And how healthy you will get).

In the US, the impact of these measures may be small. But in Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Arab and Muslim worlds, boycotting these famous brands can gain national scope and the impact on corporate profits will be enormous. Never underestimate the power of US corporations to leverage US foreign policy. They are the one force that consistently does so.

But always, always, remember the goal and vision. Anger and hatred, arising from the Lebanon debacle, must be channelled not into retaliation and vengeance but into principled action. Armed struggle against occupation remains legitimate and, if properly handled (no killing of civilians), is a key tool. But the goal of all efforts, of every stamp, must be to secure security for everyone, toward building a new peaceful future. It's very hard, in the midst of our moral outrage, to stay on the high road. That challenge is, however, well-known to human rights campaigns as it is to all three monotheistic faiths. It is what Islam knows as the "great jihad"--the struggle of the heart. It must remain the guiding torch of this effort, which we must defend together.

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