NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Economic and political boycotts of Israel

Boycotts of Israel are a series of economic and political campaigns against the State of Israel in the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Arab boycotts of the region's Jewish population began decades before Israel's founding as a state and include an often-violated official boycott by the Arab League. More recently, similar boycotts have been proposed outside the Arab world and the Muslim world, mostly by left-wing organizations in the west. These boycotts comprise economic measures such as divestment; a consumer boycott of Israeli products or businesses that operate in Israel; a proposed academic boycott of Israeli universities and scholars; and a proposed boycott of Israeli cultural institutions or Israeli sport venues. Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_important. ... An economy is a set of human and social activities and institutions related to the production, distribution, exchange and consumption of goods and services. ... Politics is the process by which individuals or relatively small groups attempt to exert influence over the actions of an organization. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a part of the greater Arab-Israeli conflict, is an ongoing dispute between the State of Israel and Palestinian people (or state). ... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article describes some ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity; for a consideration of the Jewish religion, refer to the article Judaism. ... Flag of the League of Arab States The Arab League or League of Arab States (Arabic: Ø¬Ø§Ù…Ø¹Ø© Ø§Ù„Ø¯ÙˆÙ„ Ø§Ù„Ø¹Ø±Ø¨ÙŠØ©), is an organization of Arab states (compare Arab world). ... Map of Arab League states in dark green with non-Arab areas in light green and Somalia and Djibouti in striped green due to their Arab League membership but non-Arab population. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset, for either financial or social goals. ... The academic boycotts of Israel refer to a series of proposals to boycott Israeli universities and academics, which have been put forward first by a group of academics via an open letter in 2002, and later members of two teaching unions in the UK, one Irish group, and a Palestinian... There are eight official universities in Israel. ... The culture of Israel, also called Israeli culture, is inseparable from long history of Judaism and Jewish history which preceded it (i. ... Sports in Israel, as in other countries, are an important part of the national culture. ...

Arab League boycott

The Arab economic boycott of Israel is a systematic effort by Arab states to isolate Israel economically.

Overview and origin

Arab boycotts of Jewish interests started as early as 1921 ^[1] ^[2], 27 years before the establishment of Israel. The original boycott forswore with any Jewish owned business operating in the British Mandate of Palestine. David Ben Gurion (First Prime Minister of Israel) publicly pronouncing the Declaration of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948. ... Map of the territory under the British Mandate of Palestine. ...

Aiming to isolate the Jewish community economically, a formal boycott was declared by the newly formed Arab League Council on December 2, 1945: "Jewish products and manufactured goods shall be considered undesirable to the Arab countries." All Arab "institutions, organizations, merchants, commission agents and individuals" were called upon "to refuse to deal in, distribute, or consume Zionist products or manufactured goods." ^[3]

At one point the boycott was observed by the entire Arab League; today only Lebanon and Syria adhere to it stringently. The boycott list was maintained by a special office within the Arab League called the "Central Boycott Office." Each participating Arab League state had its own national office. The Central Boycott Office has always been headquartered in Damascus, although there was no meeting of the coordinating committee from 1993 to 2002 due to the fact there was no quorum. Damascus at sunset Damascus ( translit: Also commonly: Ø§Ù„Ø´Ø§Ù… ash-ShÄm) is the largest city of Syria and is also the capital. ...

In addition to goods and businesses, many Arab states refused to allow entrance to anyone who had an Israeli stamp on his or her passport.

Economic effects

Because of the boycott, certain products which were ubiquitous elsewhere in the world, such as Coca-Cola were not to be found in the Arab world. A similar situation existed in Israel as in the case of Pepsi products, which were non-existent in Israel until the boycott began waning in the late 1980s. The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ... Pepsi-Cola, most commonly called Pepsi, is a soft drink produced by PepsiCo. ...

Although Israel's economy has performed relatively well since 1948, achieving a higher GDP per capita than that all Arab countries but oil-rich United Arab Emirates and Qatar, the boycott nevertheless has undoubtedly harmed Israel. The Israeli Chamber of Commerce estimates that with the boycott Israeli exports are 10 percent less than they would be without the boycott and investment in Israel likewise 10 percent lower. Trade with Japan and South Korea was particularly affected. Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Ignacy Åukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ...

Despite the boycott, Israeli goods often do make it to Arab markets in boycott countries. Typically, the Israeli goods are sent to a third country and then reshipped to an Arab state. Cyprus is the greatest transhipment point. In 2001, Cyprus imported $164 million in Israeli goods, but only exported $ 27.5 million to Israel. It is probable that the bulk of that enormous Israeli trade surplus ends up in the Arab world. ^{[citation needed]}

Weakening of the boycott

In 1977 the Congress of the United States passed a law that then-President Jimmy Carter signed, and according to which fines would be levied on American companies which cooperate with the boycott. For the surveillance after the implementation of this law, an office called the "Office of Antiboycott Compliance" was opened in the United States as part of the American trade ministry. Despite the fines, there were some American companies (like McDonald's) which preferred to pay the fine than break the boycott and endanger loss of business with the Arab world. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Congress in Joint Session. ... James Earl Carter, Jr. ... {{Infobox_Company | company_name = McDonalds | company_logo = | company_type = Public (NYSE: MCD) | company_slogan = im lovin it | foundation = May 15, [[1826n [[mexico location_city = Oak Brook, Illinois | location_country = USA | key_people = Dick and Mac McDonald, Founders Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonalds Corporation Jim Skinner, CEO Ralph Alvarez, President/COO Ronald McDonald, Corporate Mascot | industry...

Egypt was the first nation to abandon the boycott, doing so in 1980. Jordan followed in 1995. The Palestinian Authority likewise agreed not to abide by the boycott in 1995. In 1994 several of the Gulf States abandoned the secondary and tertiary boycotts. Today, most Arab states, Syria being the exception, no longer attempt to enforce the secondary or tertiary boycotts. As the boycott was relaxed (or rather, not as stringently enforced) starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s, many companies which previously stayed out of the Israeli market had entered it, e.g. McDonald's, Toyota, Nestlé, etc. The West Bank The Palestinian National Authority (PNA or PA) is a semi-autonomous state institution nominally governing the bulk of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (which it calls the Palestinian Territories). It was established as a part of Oslo accords between the PLO and Israel. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... NestlÃ© is a multinational packaged food company. ...

Though not an Arab state, Iran attempts to enforce the secondary and tertiary boycotts.

Recent events

During the al-Aqsa Intifada there were calls for a renewal of the boycott and the boycott council finally met again. However, these meetings came to nothing. In 2005, shortly after the Gaza disengagement, Bahrain announced that it was completely withdrawing from the boycott. The withdrawal of Bahrain from the boycott was in order to ease the approval of free trade agreements between Bahrain and the United States. The decision to leave the boycott sparked harsh criticism of this move by the Bahraini public, and on October 11 the Bahraini parliament voted for a non-binding resolution asking for Bahrain to return to participating in the boycott. For other uses, see Al-aqsa (disambiguation). ... Israels unilateral disengagement plan (termed in Hebrew: ×ª×•×›× ×™×ª ×”×”×ª× ×ª×§×•×ª Tokhnit HaHitnatkut or ×ª×›× ×™×ª ×”×”×™× ×ª×§×•×ª Tokhnit HaHinatkut in the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law), also known as the disengagement plan, Gaza Pull-Out plan, and Hitnatkut) was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government and enacted in August 2005, to...

In 2005, Saudi Arabia announced the end of its ban on Israeli goods and services, mostly due to its application to the World Trade Organization, where it is illegal for one member country to ban trade with another. However, as of summer 2006 Saudi boycott was not cancelled. ^[4] ^[5] ^[6] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The World Trade Organization (WTO, French: Organisation mondiale du commerce) is an international, multilateral organization, which sets the rules for the global trading system and resolves disputes between its member states; all of whom are signatories to its approximately 30 agreements. ...

On May 16, 2006, after four-day conference of the Arab Boycott Bureau in Damascus, Syria, a "source close to the conference" reported that "the majority of Arab countries are evading the boycott, notably the Gulf states and especially Saudi Arabia. ... The boycott deteriorated a lot, regressed and even almost collapsed... We should not lie on each other, because the boycott is quasi... paralyzed." ^[7]

However, reporting by the Jerusalem Post has found that many countries and entities are still enforcing aspects of the boycott, including the UAE and its Dubai Ports World firm, ^[8] and the Sultanate of Oman. ^[9] Both entities are currently negotiating trade agreements with the United States. UAE redirects here; for other uses of that term, see UAE (disambiguation) The United Arab Emirates is an oil-rich country situated in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. ... DP World is a company owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. ...

In November, 2006, The Jerusalem Postreported that "According to material compiled by the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, ... Arab states made a total of 201 boycott-related requests in all of 2005, or fewer than 17 per month. By contrast, US firms have reported receiving 120 boycott-related requests in just the first six months of this year, for an average of 20 per month, marking an increase of nearly 20 percent over the rate recorded last year." and "it appears that at least seven Arab countries, including ostensible US allies such as Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Iraq, are enforcing the terms of the Arab boycott more energetically this year than in 2005. At the top of the list is the UAE, which made 40 boycott-related requests during the period of January to June, followed by Syria, with 20."^[10]

Recent economic boycotts

In July 2004, the General Synod of the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA) voted to "initiate a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." ^[11] On June 19, 2006, the Committee on Peacemaking and International Issues of the PCUSA adopted a compromise resolution that calls for the Church to invest only in "peaceful pursuits" in Israel and Palestine. The new resolution does not include the word "divestment." ^[12] A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... Emblem of the PC(USA) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or PC(USA) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. ...

In May 2006, the Ontario section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees approved a resolution to "support the international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until that state recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination" and to protest the Israeli West Bank barrier. ^[13] ^[14] ^[15] The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE, French: Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique) is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector - although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well. ... The barrier route as of May 2005. ...

The Congress of South African Trade Unions published a letter expressing their support for the CUPE boycott of Israel. ^[16] The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union federation in South Africa. ...

The Toronto assembly of the United Church of Canada supports CUPE's boycott. In 2003, the Toronto assembly voted to boycott goods produced by Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.^[17] The United Church of Canada (French: lÃ‰glise Unie du Canada) is Canadas second largest church (after the Roman Catholic Church), and its largest Protestant denomination. ...

The Church of England synod has voted for disinvestment from Israel, which was criticised by George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury as "inappropriate, offensive and highly damaging".^[18] The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. ... The Right Reverend and Right Honourable George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton, PC (born 13 November 1935), was the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1991 to 2002. ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

Academic boycotts

In May 2006, Britain's lecturers' union, the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, voted to support an academic boycott against Israel. ^[19] The ban expired four days later when a merger between the lecturer's union and a larger union came into effect. ^[20] The academic boycotts of Israel refer to a series of proposals to boycott Israeli universities and academics, which have been put forward first by a group of academics via an open letter in 2002, and later members of two teaching unions in the UK, one Irish group, and a Palestinian... The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) is the trade union and professional assocation: for people working with those above statutory school age, and primarily concerned with providing education, training or research. ...

A prominent Palestinian academic, president of Al-Quds University, Sari Nusseibeh, has argued against the boycott telling Associated Press "If we are to look at Israeli society, it is within the academic community that we've had the most progressive pro-peace views and views that have come out in favor of seeing us as equals... If you want to punish any sector, this is the last one to approach." He acknowledges, however, that his view is a minority one amongst Palestinian academics. ^[21] ^[22] Al-Quds University (Arabic: Ø¬Ø§Ù…Ø¹Ù‡ Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø¯Ø³ ) is the Arab university in Jerusalem. ... Sari Nusseibeh, born in 1949, is a professor of philosophy and president of the Arab Al-Quds University in Jerusalem (Al Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem). ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ...

Support

Anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu has called on the international community to treat Israel as it treated apartheid South Africa and supports the divestment campaign against Israel. ^[23] The Most Reverend Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. ...

Arch-bishop K. G. Hammar, ambassador Carl Tham and a list of 71 others have supported a boycott of products from the occupied areas.^[24]^[25]^[26] K. G. Hammar Photo: Jim ElfstrÃ¶m/IKON Karl Gustav Hilding Hammar (born February 18, 1943 in HÃ¤ssleholm), commonly referred to as K. G. Hammar, is a Swedish clergyman. ...

Criticism

Critics of the proposals argue that making unilateral demands on Israel will not promote negotiation and just peace ^[27] ^[28] ^[29] ^[30]. Some note similarities with the Nazi boycotts of Jews of the 1930s ^[31] and claim this is a form of anti-Semitism. However, a number of Jewish organizations and individuals participate in current boycotts against Israel with an aim to stop the Occupations of the West Bank, Gaza and Golan Heights. Prominent Jewish Israeli organizations leading boycott efforts include Gush Shalom^[32] and Matzpun^[33]. The Racial Policy of Nazi Germany refers to the policies and laws implemented by Nazi Germany, asserting the superiority of the Aryan race, and including measures aimed primarily against Jews. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References

^ Background: US Anti-Boycott Law and the Divest-from-Israel campaign (Divestment Watch)
^ Boycott Watch Contends: Divest-from-Israel Campaigns May Violate the Federal Antiboycott Law (Boycott Watch) July 28, 2004
^ The Arab Boycott by Mitchell Bard (JVL)
^ Saudi Arabia Continues Boycott of Israel By David Krusch. Jewish Virtual Library. August 2, 2006
^ Saudi Ambassador Says Trade Boycott of Israel Will Not End By ELI LAKE. New York Sun June 21, 2006
^ Arab League Boycott of IsraelPDF CRS Report for Congress by Martin A. Weiss. Order Code RS22424. April 19, 2006
^ Arabs evading economic boycott of Israel
^ Dubai ports firm enforces Israel boycott by Michael Freund (The Jerusalem Post) February 28, 2006, Updated March 7, 2006. Accessed July 21, 2006
^ Boycott of Israel still in effect, Omani official tells ’Post’ by Michael Freund (The Jerusalem Post) June 8, 2006. Accessed July 21, 2006
^ Arab states step up anti-Israel activity by Michael Freund (The Jerusalem Post) Nov. 2, 2006
^ Israel Divestiture Spurs Clash. Jewish Leaders Condemn Move by Presbyterian Church by Alan Cooperman (Washington Post; Page A08) September 29, 2004
^ Church adopts compromise resolution on Israel by Nathan Guttman (The Jerusalem Post) June 19, 2006
^ CUPE Ontario delegates support campaign against Israeli "apartheid wall". Background on Resolution #50 (CUPE Ontario)
^ CUPE in Ontario votes to boycott Israel (CBC News) May 27, 2006
^ Labour pains over Israel by Jay Teitel (Maclean's Canada) June 13, 2006
^ South African union joins boycott of Israel by Ronen Bodoni (YnetNews) June 08, 2006
^ "United Churches in Toronto to endorse boycott of Israel", National Post, June 28, 2006
^ Statement from Lord Carey, April 19th, 2006, hosted on the Anglicans for Israel website
^ Lecturers back boycott of Israeli academics by Benjamin Joffe-Walt (Guardian) May 30, 2006
^ British academic boycott expires after teaching unions merge by Tamara Traubmann (Haaretz) June 12, 2006
^ Palestinian university president comes out against boycott of Israeli academics (AP, Haaretz) June 18, 2006
^ Palestinian academic opposes Israel boycott (AP, YnetNews) June 18, 2006
^ Israel: Time to Divest. Desmond Tutu, New Internationalist magazine, January / February 2003
^ DN: "Sluta att köpa israeliska varor"
^ Palestine Chronicle: Swedish Public Figures Urge Israeli Boycott
^ Episcopal News Service: Head of Swedish church's support for boycott of Israeli products stirs debate
^ New British Israel boycott sparks more outrage by Vanessa Bulkacz (JTA) June 2, 2006
^ Presbyterians' Shameful Boycott by Alan Dershowitz (Los Angeles Times) August 4, 2004
^ Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Strongly Condemns Actions of British Union to Boycott/Blacklist Israeli Scholars (SPME press release) May 29, 2006
^ CUPE boycott of Israel won't help cause of peace by Buzz Hargrove (Toronto Star) June 5, 2006
^ The (anti) Zionism (anti) Israel boycotts by Ami Isserov (Zionism on the Web)
^ Gush Shalom
^ Matzpun

The Jewish Virtual Library is an online encyclopedia published by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE). ... The Jewish Virtual Library, is an online Jewish Encyclopedia which includes about 10,000 articles and 5,000 photographs and maps. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The National Post is a major Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, Ontario, a district of Toronto. ... Anglicans for Israel is a pressure group that aims to move the Church of England and other Christian groups into a position that is friendly towards Israel. ...

Contents

Arab League boycott

Overview and origin

Economic effects

Weakening of the boycott

Recent events

Recent economic boycotts

Academic boycotts

Support

Criticism

References

See also

External links

Contents

Arab League boycott GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Overview and origin

Economic effects

Weakening of the boycott

Recent events

Recent economic boycotts

Academic boycotts

Support

Criticism

References

See also

External links

Arab League boycott