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Gallery|Conflict

In Pictures: West Bank shops boycott Israel

Palestinian shops are removing Israeli products from their shelves to protest Israel’s military assault on Gaza.

Large supermarket chains in the West Bank are boycotting Israeli goods and replacing them with Palestinian or imported products.
By Dalia Hatuqa
Published On 16 Aug 201416 Aug 2014
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Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Angry over the bombardment of Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank are starting to shun Israeli goods.

In the past, concerted efforts have been made to rid the Palestinian market of products originating in Jewish settlements built illegally in the occupied West Bank – but never goods made in Israel. Last week, large supermarket chains began to clear their shelves of Israeli products, promising customers they would replenish them with Palestinian or imported ones.

Salem Hmeidat said the supermarket he works for in Ramallah was slowly replacing Israeli goods. “We are starting off with fresh produce and foodstuffs,” Hmeidat said. “Our progress depends on how receptive our customers are to these changes.”

Palestinians, a captive consumer market, are deeply economically reliant on Israel. Up until May 2014, 86.5 percent of Palestinian exports went to Israel, while approximately 65 percent of all Palestinian imports came from Israel, totalling approximately $300m worth of goods.

Dr Nafeth Abu Baker, an economist at An-Najah University in Nablus, said that for now, the economic boycott is a useful “non-violent tool of the struggle” that can eventually help create jobs and boost sales of local goods. But he acknowledged that its real effects would only be seen in the long run.

“Having a complete boycott is unattainable when there are goods or services we cannot import from elsewhere or provide locally, such as electricity, fuel, gas, and water,” Abu Baker said. “Also, if we want to see substantial changes, every effort should be made on the part of government, civil society, and consumer protection bodies to change attitudes about Palestinian goods.”

In 2005, several hundred Palestinian civil society groups launched a call for the boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) of Israel. The BDS movement’s goals are to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, recognise full equality of the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.

While not directly affiliated with the formal BDS movement, young Palestinians have kick-started a campaign called Support Your Occupation to raise awareness among customers that buying Israeli goods contributes to the army’s hold on the West Bank and Gaza.

As part of this effort, volunteers are travelling to West Bank cities and towns and identifying Israeli goods in an effort to dissuade shoppers from buying them. “Six years ago when I would talk about boycotting Israeli goods, people would roll their eyes at me,” said Aisha Mansour, a volunteer with the campaign. “Today the boycott movement is expanding in many ways.”

"This shelf is empty because we(***)ve removed our Israeli products. Gaza is victorious," reads a sign in a Ramallah supermarket.
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"Instead of Israeli shredded cheese, I(***)m buying the imported kind, so now my home-made pizza is free of Israeli products," says this university professor and mother of two.
Two local radio stations are providing free advertisement to those stores that boycott Israeli goods.
Activists say this effort is a new tool with which to fight Israel(***)s occupation of Palestinian territory.
"Apologies for the inconvenience. Israeli products have been removed from this shelf," reads a sign in one Ramallah supermarket.
Young volunteers are hoping this is the beginning of a boycott that will reach the entire West Bank.
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"Together we can rid our market of Israeli goods," reads a sign outside a Ramallah supermarket.
Activists from a campaign called "Support Your Occupation" called for volunteers to go around West Bank stores raising awareness.
Angry over the bloodshed in Gaza, many Palestinians have decided that demonstrations are not enough, and so are going from shop to shop, calling for a boycott of goods made in Israel.
Young volunteers are labelling Israeli goods with a sticker that reads: "You are donating to the Israeli army by buying this product."
Activists are hoping this community-centered boycott has a far-reaching effect that lasts beyond the current crisis in Gaza.
Some supermarkets are planning to liquidate the entirety of their current stocks of Israeli goods.


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