[lbo-talk] The Question of Sanctions and a Boycott against Israel

[Bryan Atinsky]

The Economy of the Occupation, Part Six
The Question of Sanctions and a Boycott against Israel

by Shir Hever

http://alternativenews.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=441&Itemid=70

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http://alternativenews.org/images/stories/stories/documents/EconomyofOccupation_b6.pdf

“It is in fact astonishing that the divestment campaign should
have generated so much controversy, given that its primary
demand is simply that a country that is showered with official
and unofficial American assistance […] merely acknowledge
and implement the rule of law.”

 —Saree Makdisi

At first glance, the Israeli economy is stronger than ever. Israeli
economists are exhilarated, and claim that the Israeli market is one of
the largest and fastest-growing importing/exporting economies in the
world. But economic analysis must go further, and unveil the
implications of the Israeli economy’s dependence on international trade.
Now more than ever, Israel is vulnerable to economic sanctions. This is
the international community’s opportunity to force Israel to respect the
human and national rights of the Palestinians, and to stop many of the
abuses that have become its central policies.

This article will focus on the role of economic sanctions, and will not
deal with either military or cultural and political sanctions.

Table of Contents

1. Background on Sanctions

        A. What Are Sanctions?

        B. When Were Sanctions Used?

        C. What Makes for a Successful Sanctions Campaign?

2. The Call for a Boycott

        A. Recent Calls for a Boycott and for Sanctions

3. Israel’s Strength

        A. Foreign Currency Surplus

        B. The Arms Trade

        C. The Arab Boycott

4. Israel’s Vulnerability

        A. A Comparison with the South Africa Boycott

        B. Growing Reliance on Imports

        C. Diminishing Effects of Foreign Aid

        D. Support from Within

        E. The Arms Trade

        F. Trade with Europe

5. The Effect and Significance of Sanctions

        A. The Domestic Economy and the Lower Classes

        B. Complicity with the Occupation

        C. The Psychological Impact

        D. Different Forms of Sanctions

Endnotes

For the previous "The Economy of the Occupation" Bulletins, go here:
http://alternativenews.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=8&id=117&Itemid=70

-- 
Bryan Atinsky
Editor, News from Within
e-mail: bryan at alt-info.org
Tel: (972)2-624-1159
P.O. Box 31417, Jerusalem 91313
http://www.newsfromwithin.org
http://www.alternativenews.org