Irish Newspaper: How to Boycott Israel

December 3, 2012 15:00 by Simon Plosker The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has issued a call to ban imports from what it calls “illegal Israeli settlements”.

The Irish Times reports on the story, stating that the head of the ICTU is calling for an “urgent meeting” with the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs “to seek an immediate and effective intervention by the Irish Government in light of the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip.”

With an accompanying article expressing the objections of Israel’s ambassador to Dublin, perhaps the Irish Times sought the veneer of balance and objectivity.

Except the Irish Times didn’t express a properly stated opinion on whether it supports a boycott or not.

Instead of an editorial or a public statement supporting a boycott, the paper includes what is effectively a guide on how readers can boycott Israeli goods, including a slideshow of images such as the iconic Ahava cosmetic brand.

It lists items such as carpets, garden furniture and cosmetics that are manufactured or produced in “illegal settlements” or in the “illegally occupied West Bank,” making sure to include not only the Israeli manufacturers but also where their goods are sold in Irish stores.

But the Irish Times goes further than the call for a boycott of goods manufactured in the West Bank.

Referring to fruit and vegetables, it states:

Much agricultural produce, labelled simply as coming from Israel, is likely to have been produced in settlement farms.

This is effectively a call for a boycott of all Israeli agricultural produce, irrespective of its geographical origin, on the pretext that it “is likely to have been produced in settlement farms.”

In addition, in reference to weapons, the guide states:

Aeronautic Defence Systems, based in Yavne, Centre District has sold armaments to the Irish Defence Forces as well as being a supplier to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Yavne is located in Israel’s central area, south of Tel Aviv and is certainly not in the West Bank. This can only lead to the conclusion that the Irish Times is promoting a general boycott of Israeli goods and services and not a “targeted” boycott of settlement goods.

About BDS
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a comprehensive, international strategy that seeks to present Israel as a pariah state analogous to Apartheid South Africa. Designed to isolate Israel politically, economically, militarily, academically and culturally, many of its member organizations aim to delegitimize the Two-State Solution and promote one state for both people, effectively replacing Israel with an Arab-majority state in all the territories of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. BDS has become the central organizing principle around which almost all anti-Israel activity now revolves.

Here are some resources on BDS:

• BDS – An Introduction (PDF)
• BDS Cookbook
• BDS – A Hostile Campaign, StandWithUs
• BDS and Non-Governmental Organizations, NGO Monitor
• The BDS Movement Promotes Delegitimization of the State of Israel, ReViews, June 10, 2010, Reut Institute (PDF)

Take Action Now!
BDS is a movement that singles out Israel while ignoring other nations where there are genuine concerns about human rights. Note the numbers of Syrians currently dying at the hands of their own government while the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has linked its call for a boycott to the recent Israeli action in Gaza – an operation designed to end Hamas rocket attacks against Israel’s civilian population.

That the Irish Times has sought to turn a call for a boycott into a practical action is beyond the bounds of ethical journalism.

You can send your letters to the Irish Times both admonishing the paper for its thinly disguised stance and stating your opposition to the ICTU’s boycott call – lettersed@irishtimes.com

Image: CC BY-NC HonestReporting.com, Fir0002/Flagstaffotos.

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