The Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions movement against Israel is picking up steam due to the war in Gaza. First, the British telecommunications company FreedomCall "severed all ties" with the Israeli company MobileMax. YNet reported, "The email from FreedomCall said, '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.'"
Then, Naomi Klein let loose in the Nation:
Every day that Israel pounds Gaza brings more converts to the BDS cause,
and talk of cease-fires is doing little to slow the momentum. Support is
even emerging among Israeli Jews. In the midst of the assault roughly
500 Israelis, dozens of them well-known artists and scholars, sent a
letter to foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel. It calls for "the
adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions" and draws a
clear parallel with the antiapartheid struggle. "The boycott on South
Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves…. This
international backing must stop."
Yet many still can't go there. The reasons are complex, emotional and
understandable. And they simply aren't good enough. Economic sanctions
are the most effective tools in the nonviolent arsenal. Surrendering
them verges on active complicity.
Now, Israeli fruit growers are saying their crops are rotting on the docks resulting in "massive losses." From the YNET article "Farmers claim UK, Jordan boycotting Israeli fruit":
the Gaza offensive was launched. "It's getting worse, and more voices
can be heard calling to boycott Israeli merchandise," he said. "Until
the operation began we had excellent business, though the economic
recession in Europe was causing a slight fall in the market."
Who's next?
