The impact of the boycott movement on the Israeli occupation

Books / Dr. Essam Muhammad Ali Adwan

Introduction:

Boycott from cutting, leaving and preventing, The Dictionary of the Contemporary Arabic Language defined it: “Boycott the Zionist enemy: It is forbidden to contact him economically or socially according to a decree collective system[1]. Boycott: It is not dealing with a person, company, state or institution, including boycotting the products and products of another country[2].

The boycott in its many fields belongs to non-violent resistance, It is a civilian-based method used to wage conflict through social, psychological, economic and political means without threat or use of violence. Omissions include, or verbs, or a combination of both^[3].

In South Africa: The national movement confronted a racist occupation similar to the Zionist occupation, A variety of means, including a general strike, were adopted. and the boycott of education, and the resignations of thousands of teachers, Civil disobedience developed as a weapon in the eighties, South Africa became irregulable, This has had serious security and economic consequences for the South African government. and caused political instability, A number of foreign companies liquidated their business^[4].

Two American researchers specializing in nonviolence, Maria and Erica, conducted an in-depth study of 323 cases of use of nonviolence in three Asian trials. One of them is against external occupation (East Timor), and two against a tyrannical regime (Philippines, Burma), They found that nonviolent campaigns are six times more likely to achieve complete success than violent struggle. In the case of more repressive regimes, Nonviolence can be twelve times more effective than violence at achieving partial ^{successes[5].}

Non-violent methods encourage greater participation by the masses. This puts additional pressure on the opponent, Successes in this context push outside powers to show support for nonviolent resistance and undermine the main sources of support for the adversary.
^[6]
This is exactly what happened with the efforts to boycott the Israeli occupation.

Arab Boycott:

The Palestinian people have used all forms of resistance. Since the beginning of the Zionist offensive in the late nineteenth century, So far, All segments of Palestinian society have been involved in this struggle. Which rightly made it popular resistance.[7]

The Arabs were boycotting some companies that supported Jews in Palestine. As well as boycotting the occupation itself, This had a significant impact in terms of the significant losses of these boycotting companies, Many scholars of the age have issued fatwas on its importance, including Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, Sheikh Ibn Jibreen and Sheikh Al-Albani. Sheikh al-Qaradawi, who issued a fatwa prohibiting dealing with Israeli and American goods, And that boycotting them is the duty of the nation [8] .

Before the “peace” treaties, the Arabs used boycotts against companies collaborating with Israel. The Arab boycott was a bogeyman threatening businesses around the world until they were aborted by the so-called “peace” process.[9]

It paid off well in terms of causing losses to the Israeli economy by about $ 50 million until 1956. It escalated to $300 million in 1973. It jumped to $4.5 billion in 1983. Then 8.7 billion in 1998, Then $9 billion in 1999.[10]

As soon as the occupying power imagined the end of the Arab boycott, which is the impregnable dam in the face of the occupation state’s openness to the world, Having regard to a number of Palestinian activities, including parties, trade unions, bodies, federations and popular forces in the homeland and the diaspora, issued on 9 July 2005 a historic call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, Which later bore her name: (BDS), To begin a new and difficult journey in shattering the image of the last and worst occupation in the world.

Much has been said about the impact of the BDS movement on the Israeli occupation. In the great challenges I have faced, It is natural that the occupying Power should not remain silent in the face of a popular movement aimed at delegitimizing it, exposing its practice and showing the ugly aspects of the occupation. What are its main repercussions on the occupying power?

First of all: In the cultural field:

This is a major challenge imposed by the boycott movement against the occupation, Because it strips him of any moral value, And show it as an occupation not a state, racist, inhumane, Repressive, not democratic, Arabized, not legal. The athletes of the occupying power have been rejected all over the world, whether by the players, sports teams or the cheering fans. The slogans and campaigns in support of Palestine and rejection of the occupation that are on top of the stands of European stadiums are only the biggest proof of this[11].

Continue in the article The impact of the boycott movement on the Israeli occupation:

Thousands of artists and intellectuals signed public statements in support of the cultural boycott. Around a thousand cultural figures in the UK in 2015 signed a pledge to boycott culture. Like Stefan Hessel, He is a Holocaust survivor and contributed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The majority of Arab artists and intellectuals also supported the cultural boycott of Israel. The uproar caused by the photographs taken by Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan with Israelis is evidence of the Egyptian and Arab popular rejection of any attempts to normalize the occupation.

Many prestigious artists have canceled their events in Israel, such as: Lauren Hill, and the Physalis band, And many others. An increasing number of international forums refuse to accept Israeli government funding or host writers and artists supported by the Israeli colonial regime.[12].

Academically: In 2013, the American Studies Association joined the BDS movement. It has more than a hundred institutions of higher education in the United States of America; five institutions opposing the boycott have withdrawn.[13]. In addition to nine academic societies in North America.

73% of professors, students and staff of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London voted in support of the academic boycott of Israel. Like them, 1,200 academics at Spanish universities and hundreds of anthropologists and historians in the United States signed statements calling for a comprehensive academic boycott of Israel.

The BDS movement has been supported by millions of Western students, such as the executive board of the National Union of Students in Britain, which represents 7 million students. Student councils in most parts of the University of California and Stanford, and a number of other American, Canadian and British universities, A major demonstration in South Africa with more than 10,000 students took place against Woolworths stores for selling Israeli products.[14]. Examples abound.

Secondly: In the economic field:

International companies have withdrawn from the Israeli market under pressure from the boycott. which caused heavy losses to both these companies and the occupying power, Examples include: G4S Security Company, Veolia Infrastructure, whose loss exceeded $23 billion, Orange Telecom, The French companies “Puma” and “Savage” withdrew from participating in the electric train project in occupied Jerusalem, And many others.

A number of American churches also withdrew their investments in Israel in 2015 and 2016. So did the Norwegian State Fund ($810 billion). and the Netherlands Pension Fund ($200 billion) [15].

With direct effect, The Israeli company Soda Stream was forced to close its factory in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank due to its successive losses from the boycott. The Palestinian Energy Supply Company withdrew from its $1.2 billion contract to import gas from Israel after pressure from the boycott movement. The European Union decided to label goods coming from Israeli settlements in the territories occupied in 1967.

310 European institutions and parties called on the EU leadership to freeze the EU-Israel free trade agreement. In addition, many trade unions have adopted the call to boycott Israel, In the US state of Contact, Radio and Electrical Workers Union of America, Trade unions of postal workers in Canada and the Confederation of Trade Unions of South Africa.

Moody’s, a leading credit rating agency, even warned, “The Israeli economy could suffer if the BDS movement gains momentum.” An Israeli government report predicted that the BDS movement could incur an annual loss of $1.4 billion to the Israeli economy.[16].

On a commercial level, The Israeli finance minister stated that if the boycott continues to grow and exports to Europe fall by 20%, Israel will lose more than 10,000 jobs. Some indications have begun to appear that trade with Europe will be affected. Data for 2012 shows that exports to the EU fell by 7% from 2011, which is a significant start from 2011. If we take into account the equation of the Israeli Ministry of Finance, This decline will have lost the Israeli economy the equivalent of 3,500 jobs.[17].

Thirdly: In the military field:

– Six Nobel Peace Prize laureates, more than 90 world dignitaries and tens of thousands of citizens around the world signed a petition calling for a comprehensive military embargo on Israel. The petition was delivered to the United Nations. A real crisis has emerged in Israeli arms sales, falling from $7.5 billion in 2012 to $5.5 billion in 2014. The Israeli security firm ISDS lost a $2.2 billion contract with the Brazilian government. Under pressure from the boycott movement. The boycotters shut down factories owned by the Israeli Home Company in Australia and Britain.[18].

Israeli Reaction to the Boycott:

In 2011, the Israeli Knesset enacted the so-called “boycott law.” It was approved by the Israeli Supreme Court in April 2015 against anyone who calls for a boycott of Israel. The law allows for the prosecution and compensation of any person with Israeli identity who calls for boycotts in any form. The law also gives the finance minister the right to impose significant economic sanctions on Israeli institutions that call for boycotts. It receives funding from the Israeli government and its bodies. In addition, Israel has launched an ongoing crackdown on activists active in the campaign, And escalate intelligence work in pursuing them[19].

The Israeli government and economic establishment realized that this boycott began to have a significant negative impact on the Israeli economy. It threatens the entire Israeli regime. Therefore, the Israeli government decided in June 2013, that the BDS movement has become a strategic threat to Israel, As a result, The Prime Minister transferred responsibility for confronting the boycott movement to the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Therefore, I decided to allocate a large budget to propaganda against the boycott movement, and pursue it intelligence, and legally[20].

Feedback Outlook:

Dr. Asaad Abu Sharkh[21], that the boycott of the occupation was very effective, and that the impact of the boycott movement on the Israeli occupation is the most severe on the occupation, and that the most prominent activity of the boycott appeared in a number of Western countries such as Ireland, Britain, Norway, Denmark and the United States of America, without reducing its effort in many other countries.

While Dr. Bassem Naim[22]The first blow to the Arab boycott efforts to the occupation was the signing of the Camp David Agreement in 1978, and the subsequent agreements from Oslo to Wadi Araba, as those agreements are what opened Israel to the region and the world, and Naim believes that the Arab peoples did not recognize these agreements and did not accept normalization with the occupation, and this was evidenced by the incident that occurred with the Egyptian artist Mohamed Ramadan.

The two activists in the province agreed that the economic boycott is symbolic. And it’s not a scorer for itself, Rather, it is an expression of the rejection and delegitimization of occupation. Naim stressed that the cultural boycott takes precedence over the economic in terms of its importance and its danger to the occupation.

Without exaggerating the magnitude of the impact of the BDS movement on the Israeli occupation, The boycott at the Arab level is declining, as Naim said. Because of the Zionist penetration, preoccupation with local conflicts, And the huge money spent by the occupying Power to buy printing votes. Which necessitates, And talk to Naim, Supporting the Palestinian narrative, attacking Zionism, and calling for its delegitimization.

This will not be done without the adoption of the official Palestinian diplomatic institution, especially in European countries and the international community in general, to carry out its duties in delivering the message of the Palestinian people and harnessing the necessary funds and legal efforts to help the international boycott campaigns in the face of the Zionist invasion. Abu Sharekh stressed that the first responsibility lies with the official Palestinian establishment represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, and then the Palestinian factions.

To be done:

The withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization from the agreements signed with the occupying power and the work to delegitimize it, Embracing the boycott efforts, Support the BDS movement with all possibilities.
Formation of a Palestinian fund to support the BDS movement, It involves large Palestinian investors and wealthy Palestinians, It is not necessary to disclose their names.
Forming a global legal team supported by the official Palestinian establishment to counter the Israeli entity’s attempts to criminalize the boycott movement, On the other hand, lawsuits should be filed against the occupation in the field of human rights, refugees, confiscation and damage to Palestinian property and souls carried out by the occupation in Palestine.
Calling on Palestinian and Arab youth, And the friends of the Palestinian people in the world who are active on social networking sites to interact intensively with calls and boycott campaigns in all fields.
Submit a draft resolution by the Palestinian Authority, supported by a number of Arab and Islamic countries and their friends, to the United Nations General Assembly to issue a UN resolution considering the BDS movement and its likenesses a legitimate movement that should not be violated outside the framework of the law.

Margins:

[1] Ahmed Mukhtar Abdel Hamid Omar, Dictionary of the Contemporary Arabic Language, Beirut: World of Books, 2008, part 3, p. 1835

[2] Abu Faisal al-Badrani, Loyalty, innocence and hostility in Islam, p. 72

[3] Maria J. Stephan and Erica Chenoweth, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, International Security, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Summer 2008), pp. 7–44, https://bit.ly/2lxO9he , p.9

[4] Ibrahim Nasreddin, The possibilities of the Palestinian struggle in light of the experience of South Africa, The book “The Strategy of Comprehensive Resistance: Research of the Resistance Conference: Choice or Necessity and Liberation”, Series of seminars and conferences (2), Giza, Arab Media Center, 2008, p. 193

[5] Stephan and Chenoweth, Why Civil Resistance Works, p, 20

[6] Stephan and Chenoweth, Why Civil Resistance Works, p.8-9

[7] Abu Karim, The development of the concept of resistance in the Palestinian national political thought – the Fatah movement as a model, p. 192

[8] Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Tayyar, et al. Facilitated jurisprudence, Riyadh: Madar Al Watan Publishing, 2011, vol. 13, p. 118

[9] Islamic Forum, Al-Bayan Magazine (174/68)

[10] Maghawry Shalabi, $90 billion in Israel’s losses: The Arab boycott is a deadly weapon threatened by rust, An article on the Justice and Spirituality group’s website, Published on 15/4/2005, Viewed on 13/12/2020, On the link: https://cutt.us/5ayo1

[11] Ali Badi, The mathematical boycott of occupation between regimes and peoples, Article on the Palestinian Information Center website, Published on 13/10/2019 Viewed on 15/12/2020, On the link: https://palinfo.com/261342

[12] Cultural Boycott, campaign on the BDS website, Viewed on 15/12/2020 at the link: https://cutt.us/1XTW2

[13] Lawrence Davidson, Evaluation of the academic boycott of Israel, Article on the website of the Institute for Palestine Studies, Published on 20/10/2016 Viewed on 13/12/2020, On the link: https://www.palestine-studies.org/ar/node/1649795#

[14] Wafa, BDS movement… Another arena of resistance, Article published on WAFA website on 2/6/2016, Viewed on 15/12/2020, On the link: https://cutt.us/hRYEI

[15] Wafa, BDS Movement

[16] Wafa, BDS Movement

[17] Samia Al-Batmeh and Omar Barghouti, The impact of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement The economic dimension, Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), 30 April 2014, pp. 3-4

[18] Wafa, BDS Movement

[19] Mahmoud Jarabaa, BDS Movement: Achievements, constraints and prospects, Article on the website of the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Published on 6/7/2015 Viewed on 15/12/2020 at the following link: https://studies.aljazeera.net/ar/reports/2015/07/2015769545943866.html

[20] Duck and Barghouti, The impact of the boycott of Israel movement, pp. 1-2

[21] In a conversation with the author about the effects of the boycott on Israel on 14/12/2020. and d. Asaad Abu Sharkh, Professor of English Literature at Al-Aqsa University in Palestine, He is a political activist and one of the founders and activists of the BDS movement in Ireland.

[22] In a conversation with the author about the effects of the boycott on Israel on 15/12/2020. and d. Bassem Naim was previously the Palestinian Minister of Health. He is a political activist and one of the founders of the Palestinian boycott movement.

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