AFTER GAZA OFFENSIVE, WEST BANK BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL GAINS STRENGTH

Ramallah, 17 Dzuqa’dah 1435/12 September 2014 (MINA) – The boycott of Israeli products across the West Bank has led to a noticeable difference for Palestinian industries, as many Palestinians have shunned Israeli products in favor of local equivalents.

Although calls for an economic boycott have existed for decades, the movement has been revived in the wake of the Israeli assault on Gaza.

Hundreds have taken to the streets to express their opposition to Israeli products, including in Ramallah, where members of families of those killed by Israeli forces launched a campaign entitle “Boycott the suppliers of our children’s killers.”

The secretary-general of the National Gathering of Palestinian Martyrs’ Families, the group that organized the campaign, said that “the children of those killed are the most capable of expressing this cause and encouraging Palestinians to boycott Israeli products.”

According to Maan report quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA), youths, women, and children have visited major stores and shops and handed out stickers calling for the boycott of Israel, while participants held signs reading “For the sake of our martyrs, boycott the products of Israel” and “Do not pay for their bullets.”

The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlement said that the boycott campaign has helped boost local products across the West Bank.

In Jericho, for example, research by the economic ministry has revealed an increase in the consumption of local products by 21-25 percent.

The boycott movement, however, faces major obstacles, as Israel maintains nearly complete control over the Palestinian economy and a wide variety of limitations restrict the potential for the growth of the Palestinian market. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)