The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (an organisation that supports and gives funding to Hamas) is staging another boycott of Israeli products, especially targeting Waitrose and Tesco stores with a “week of action” starting on Saturday January 9.
Anti-Israel boycotts get in the way of peace. They target both Jews and Arabs in Israel and also harm the Palestinian economy, which is why some Palestinian organisations are firmly against the boycott of Israeli goods.
The best way to respond is to join the BUYcott campaign. So please go to your local Waitrose and Tesco starting this weekend and buy goods from Israel. Look especially for fresh fruit and vegetables and for Israeli wine. You might also write to your local store manager and their head office thanking them for stocking Israeli goods and explaining why the boycotts are wrong. You can read more about the BUYcott campaign here.
The BUYcott route really works. In Toronto when anti-Israel boycotters targetted a shop that sold Israeli wine, Buycotters arrived en masse and the shop sold 500 cases of wine in just over half an hour. As a result, another store in Vancouver stocked-up with Israeli produce ahead of the next boycott protest!
As one Facebooker commented this week, BUYcott is ‘a good plan and a positive way to show actual support without sinking to their level’. I’ll have some of that. I’ll also have some Israeli dates, fruit and hummus. Hmmm, perhaps some Bamba and Bissli too…
Jonathan S
Well said, Chas.
Quite apart from making a point, Israeli produce is usually of a very high standard. I love to choose Israeli when I can.
7 January 2010 at 6:52 PM
Carol
Remember Israeli wines too. There is a useful list of businesses that stock Israeli produce, including Tesco and Waitrose, so we know what to look for and buy. Thanks guys.
7 January 2010 at 8:31 PM
Shmuel
As a result, another store in Vancouver stocked-up with Israeli produce ahead of the next boycott protest!
LOL – superb.
7 January 2010 at 9:14 PM
Lynne
Israeli wine isn’t my cup of tea but maybe I’ll try some Israeli fruit. Which fruit is best from Israel?
7 January 2010 at 9:37 PM
Chas Newkey-Burden
Israeli wine isn’t my cup of tea
Haha. You’re not supposed to boil it and mix it with milk.
The Sharon Fruit is nice, and the oranges and avocado pears are wonderful. My favourites are the dates, however! And try the Bamba crisps.
I am sure others will add their own tips.
7 January 2010 at 9:45 PM
Jack
I love this idea.
7 January 2010 at 10:58 PM
Frugal Dougal
Well said! If I should see an Israeli product with a label “made in Palestine” on it I’ll studiously avoid it, so as not to fund taxes for terrorism, in favour of something made in Israel which doesn’t have the sticker!
7 January 2010 at 11:05 PM
annie
Kudos to all of you for this Buycott initiative. It greatly warms the cockles of our Israeli hearts. And I like that Facebook description “‘a good plan and a positive way to show actual support without sinking to their level’”. My thoughts exactly.
7 January 2010 at 11:29 PM
theedgeofwhere
My problem is that as a zionst and Israeli citizen I want to support Israeli goods, but being opposed to the settlements, I don’t want to buy produce from the occupied territories knowing that it helps to fund an illegal and imoral enterprise.
That’s why I’m annoyed with the Zionist Federation for stubbornly rejecting Britain’s relabelling of goods from the occupied territories as being from the occupied territories. Why are the ZF so intent on restricting the amount of information given to consumers to make their own minds up!??
8 January 2010 at 8:55 AM
Chas Newkey-Burden
Can’t agree with you there. But good luck with your blog.
8 January 2010 at 6:57 PM
organicfish
“Illegal and immoral enterprise.”
Wow, with that kind of support from its own citizens, it’s no wonder the anti-Israel crowd is encouraged and gets more vociferous with each passing day.
From your silly little blog: “perhaps it’s time for Britain to produce it’s own J-street”
Maybe you missed all the moronic self-haters who criticise every move Israel makes? They usually pen screeds in al-Guardian such as: “Hey, we’re morally bankrupt utter cowards who want an easy life, did we mention that Israel kind of sucks, please leave us alone and graffiti the Synagogue down the road, not our one.”
—-
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418604334&pagename=JPArticle/ShowFull
Muslims, Arabs among J Street donors
The J Street political action committee has received tens of thousands of dollars in donations from dozens of Arab and Muslim Americans, as well as from several individuals connected to organizations doing Palestinian and Iranian issues advocacy, according to Federal Election Commission filings
—-
Says it all really. Oh and lastly, I hope Israeli goods are relabelled to indicate if they were produced in the ‘West Bank’, to ‘grown in Judea/Samaria’ – the historically accurate name.
8 January 2010 at 10:53 AM
blahblahblah
Well, I’m supporting Fidel,Raul and the wonderful people of Cuba by buying Cohibas,Partagas,Romeo y Julieta and when skint,Monte Cristo.I am a “philocuban”,you see.
8 January 2010 at 4:06 PM
Chas Newkey-Burden
I am a “philocuban”,you see.
Philocubans, philosemites, filo pastry: we’re all philos now.
I just popped to the shops, by the way.
8 January 2010 at 4:50 PM
anna
I buy loads of Israeli produce anyway, regardless of a buy/boycott. Bamba especially seems to be really popular and is always sold out at our local Tesco’s. Will do my bit as usual. Yarden houmous here I come…
8 January 2010 at 4:59 PM
A reader
Hi Chas, still got a bit of a racist problem regarding dark skinned people I see.
8 January 2010 at 5:20 PM
Chas Newkey-Burden
Hi Chas, still got a bit of a racist problem regarding dark skinned people I see.
Naive Israel-bashers always amuse. Why don’t you go to Israel and look at the skin colour of many of the Jews that live there – often darker than many Palestinians. And as I explained in the post, many Palestinians are against the boycott too.
8 January 2010 at 5:24 PM
DF
Well said Chas. Though I would humbly suggest that you ignore the anonymous ignoramus.
8 January 2010 at 5:32 PM
A reader
I wasn’t particularly referring to the above article. More of a holistic sort of thing.
8 January 2010 at 6:29 PM
Chas Newkey-Burden
Goodie. When you have evidence and are willing to stop hiding behind anonymity do come back.
8 January 2010 at 6:54 PM
ZF
http://www.zionist.org.uk/index.php?id=60
@theedgeofwhere – The ZF statement on labelling is here. In addition, the separate labelling is seen by the boycotters as a step on the way to a full boycott of Israeli goods. And it sets a precedent in the EU which other countries will follow.
Why does the UK feel that it has to go further than EU rules require? Why are there no other countries for which it wants the same?
8 January 2010 at 8:36 PM
Lynne T
If you can find a store that carries Adonim teas, the green and herbal blends they manufacture are superb. And the 2007 cab sauvignon from Barkan is fantastic.
8 January 2010 at 10:21 PM
Chas Newkey-Burden
Thanks for the tips! I do like such teas, I shall try and get.
8 January 2010 at 11:05 PM
Chas Newkey-Burden
The BUYcott is snacktastic!
9 January 2010 at 2:07 PM
Israelinurse
For some reason my local Morrisons keep the Bamba in the Polish section…
9 January 2010 at 7:46 PM
The Fogel
This is a very positive initiative. All my Israel-supporting friends have been busy buying up lots and lots of Israeli produce this weekend. Well done everybody and keep going.
10 January 2010 at 1:38 PM
Avi
Thank you, I have just made a video to BUYcott Israel and used your article in it. Also gave you a credit.
14 January 2010 at 6:11 AM