Palestinian shoppers vote with their purses
The Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip has led to growing support of resistance in the West Bank, with an increasing number of Palestinians there boycotting Israeli goods.
Although analysts don't expect the campaign to have much of an effect on Israel's economy, they see it as a significant development.
Public fury against the Israeli offensive in Gaza has seen the years-long boycott movement gain momentum, and many Palestinian interviewed by Xinhua News Agency said they won't stop even if a truce is secured.
On Tuesday, the largest Palestinian supermarket chain store Bravo joined in the call to boycott by clearing its shelves of Israeli products. "We don't have Israeli products. Gaza is victorious," a sign over the empty shelves read. Journalists and social media activists have promoted the move, and two local radio stations promised free advertising for the boycotting shops.
Subhi Naser, 32, said it is his first boycott. "I wanted to resist after seeing the massacres committed against my people," he told Xinhua, adding "this was the only way that goes along with my principles." Naser said he feels empowered by his decision.
Activist Fareed Tomallah explained the importance of the grassroots initiative, saying, "Shops will stop bringing these products when they see there's no demand. Tomallah was backing the "Support Your Occupation" campaign, which calls on people to do the opposite of its name.
Activists toured West Bank shops labeling Israeli goods with a sticker that read, "16 percent of this product's price goes to the Israeli army," referring to the taxes that are sent to the Israeli government.
But there is a limit as to how far the boycott can go. The Palestinian National Authority has signed agreements with Israel that ban it from endorsing a boycott.
"Israel is the sole provider of water, electricity and fuel to the Palestinians, and giving that up means that the Palestinians will be deprived of basic life materials," economics professor Nasr Abd Al-Karim said.
(China Daily 08/09/2014 page12)
