by PARUL VERMA
“Let it be clear to any company or organization that’s considering boycotting us: We will hit back. We will attack our attackers. We will boycott our boycotters.” Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the leader of her Jewish Home party
“De-legitimization of Israel must be fought, and you are on the front lines. It’s not about this or that Israeli policy. It’s about our right to exist here as a free people.” Netanyahu during an emergency summit to address BDS.
“We are preparing to file lawsuits against BDS activists who call for blacklisting the Jewish state.” Ayeled Shaked
The mere act of considering to sue the BDS activist on the grounds of racial discrimination and damaging Israeli trade and economy, speaks of the fear seeping among the Zionist in the Knesset. This nonviolent movement for the justice in Israel/Palestine has grown more momentum than Israel could have imagined. Considering the figures, Israel’s disquiet over BDS is genuine. Israeli financial newspaper reported ,estimating that BDS could cost Israel’s economy $1.4billlion a year. The estimate included exports from the West Bank settlements and with the EU’s decision to label the occupied territory products by the Israel ( not part of the BDS movement) , The Rand Corporation estimates that the loss could be more than three times higher: $47bn over 10 years.
But how is the BDS campaign related to the upcoming Third Intifada? Will the Third intifada be a collective participation by the world to show the solidarity with Palestine, alienating Israel( psychologically and financially )? Will the outcome of the Third intifada is break down the economic backbone of Israel.?
Due to stalled peace talks, many countries whose governments do not currently recognise the Palestinian state are being encountered with pressures from members of the parliaments and the general public to ere-structure their policies. In Europe, for example, the parliaments of Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain have passed non-binding advisory resolutions recommending their governments to recognise the state of Palestine. The world is rising in favour of Palestine as a independent state with no occupied territories by Israel. This is an crucial point, since now if Israel starts another operation, bombing and mutilating Palestinians and thereby committing human right violation as condemned by majority of the world. Israel will face economic and psychological alienation in the form of the upcoming Third Intifada, initiated by the Palestinians along with the world. Protection of the ‘Israeli character’ has now become the priority of Israel because with its famous brutality against the Palestinians , the BDS will become more Influential. This is the non violent essence of the “ Smart Resistance “, as put forth by Mubarak Awad. No loss of Palestinian lives, yet a gain towards the liberation.
The initiation of the economic alienation
One cannot overlook the advertising of the products by the Israeli military companies on the basis of their successful use in Israel’s massacres of Palestinians. For example, following the Operation Pillar of Defence, launched against Gaza in November 2012,seven countries, including the United States and South Korea, expressed interest in buying some variant of the Iron Dome system. The growing public awareness of this process has escalated the opposition to Israel’s war crimes which has started to hit Israel’s military exports. Government of many countries are under pressure by its citizens to meet the legal obligation and not provide aid or assistance to Israel . Rather implement a strict policy to terminate the Israel’s violations of international law by implementing a military embargo on Israel . The result of such pressure has been tremendous.
Mondoweiss reported “ During Israel’s 2014 Gaza massacre, the Spanish government temporary freezed on arms exports to Israel, the USA temporarily with held arms shipments, and the UK government came close to taking similar steps as calls for a military embargo on Israel took centre stage in the debate over Israel’s crimes. In April, UK high street bank Barclays appeared to divest from Israeli arms company Elbit Systems following a high profile campaign that saw direct action protests at its branches across more than 15 cities. Campaigns targeted the European Union for funding the Israeli military companies, Israeli military and security companies such as Elbit Systems and ISDS which provide equipment and services to Israeli checkpoints and prisons that make up Israel’s “infrastructure of oppression”.
The head of the Israel four leading weapon manufacturing company showed major concern stating that the defence industry in Israel is in the midst of a major crisis : military exports have dropped from $7.5 billion in 2012, to $6.5 billion in 2013, and further to $5.5 billion in 2014. This year it is expected to exports to total $4-4.5 billion. Israel’s economy could lose up to NIS 40 billion ($10.5 billion) per year and thousands of people could lose their jobs if the country is subject to a full international boycott, according to a Finance Ministry report . The numbers could reach to $50 billion in coming ten years. Moreover, a complete boycott of Israel by the European Union would cause the country to lose some 88 billion shekels ($23.3 billion) of exports, cut 40.4 billion shekels from gross domestic product and cost some 36,500 jobs, the Finance Ministry said in a report obtained by the Marker.( source : electronicintifada.com)
In fact a sharp devaluation of the shekel and consequently capital market activities would be substantially damaged. Increased debt levels in the private and public sectors with a reduction in investments and a substantial increase in unemployment would be observed.
Psychological Alienation
Since BDS , in its non violent strategies indeed challenges Israeli persecution of Palestinians for not being Jewish. Viewing its worldwide acceptance has revealed Israel’s heightened ” political anxiety”, fearing loss of its mainstream acceptance and the economic isolation. As BDS is gaining momentum, Israel’s standing in world public opinion is not of a ” victim ” anymore. Psychological alienation is at play here, once the Third intifada starts. Israel worries about growing numbers of American Jews “vocally oppos(ing) its policies,” Barghouti explained– especially prominent Jewish figures unwilling to accept Zionist occupation harshness and discriminatory policies against Israel’s Muslim population, is further raising anxiety of ” non -acceptance” from its own Jewish community. The public awareness of the “ victim turned victimiser “ has sparked worldwide criticism of Israel, further alienating Israel from the international community, escalating the anxiety related to non-acceptance.
Conclusion
Among the member states of the United Nations, 135 countries representing about 82 percent of world population – officially has recognised Palestine as an independent state . The world is observing each steps made by Israel, and in the presence of another operation initiated by Israel against the Palestinians would unite the BDS activist, human right organisations ,the common people , countries supporting Palestine, to unify along with the Palestinians to start the Third Intifada whose essence would be ” smart resistance ” ( isolation of Israel economically through the non-violent methods). Third intifada would be a collective participation of the world along with the Palestinian, to terminate the oppressive characteristic essence of Zionism.
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PARUL VERMA is a student, activist and a writer. Her work has been published in counter currents, Last word, counter punch etc. She is the founder of the group ” political liberation” that publishes the political art works from around the world. You can reach her at parul_edu@yahoo.com
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