In the West Bank, a new movement has been taking shape urging Palestinians to buy items made by local manufacturers and stay away from buying Israeli goods. Relying on the slogan “By us, for us,” the campaign stresses supporting Palestinian products. A West Bank supermarket chain has even gone so far as to display proudly “made in Palestine” products (such as water, milk and toilet paper) on their store shelves with an estimate that sales of Israeli-produced goods have fallen 30 % percentage points since the conflict in Gaza.
It is young people in particular who are becoming more and more politically aware, and choosing to consume Palestinian products. They read labels and they participate in the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Born in 2005 out of a call from Palestinian civil society, the BDS movement is based on political and economic pressure against Israel. It brings inspiration from South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. It calls for an end to Israel’s military occupation, the dismantling of its apartheid regime and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Jaafar ASHTIYEH
With branches in 40 countries around the world, the BDS movement has caught on a bit and received support for its non-violent form of protest. Some, such as Ofer Neiman, are excited about the movement for international pressure to bring about positive change; others say that a boycott is unrealistic. Among those who suffer is a Palestinian shopkeeper in Ramallah, who says it is hard to run his business without the flow of Israeli goods–in particular, high-quality bathtubs and plumbing. A shopkeeper near Ramallah in El-Bireh gives the example of having run a grocery store ‘zero Israeli products for 10 years,’ not importing anything that would involve money falling into the hands of Israelis, with merchandise instead coming from Turkey, Jordan, China or France. But Israeli restrictions on households have a severe economic impact, according to a United Nations report.
