Right to Resist: Boycott of Israeli settlement products

“Palestinian Takes a Road Less Traveled.” Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad promotes boycott of Israeli settlement products. (NY Times article here).

I had a reminder of non-violent resistance in Palestine today. A nationwide boycott of goods produced in Israeli settlements.

Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister of the PA West Bank government, announced the boycott in late May. Palestinian shops and businesses have been asked to rid themselves of any products made in Israeli settlements. These settlements are Israeli towns and cities that have been built within occupied West Bank territory since 1967. Under international law, building on territory forcefully occupied in wartime is illegal, yet Israeli policy has allowed these settlements to develop into a huge network of over 450,000 people in over 200 towns/cities/outposts that dominate 40% of West Bank territory.

As most people are aware, the settlement issue is perhaps the single most contentious problem between the Obama Administration and the Israeli government. This issue is complicated and deserves far more explanation of Israeli domestic politics than I can do in this post. Suffice it to say, the settlements are the cause of immense suffering for the Palestinian population and are perhaps the number one catalyst for continued conflict.

This is not the first Palestinian boycott. Fayyad can be credited with bringing this settlement boycott to international attention, but not inspiring a new idea. After speaking with friends here, I learned that there have been many boycotts of Israeli products, in varying degrees. I also learned that many people here boycott all Israeli products , not only those produced in the settlements. The other day I went to the supermarket and brought back some snacks for my colleagues in the office. I bought a chocolate bar with a familiar wrapper, not thinking about where it was made. After living inside Israel last year, I am familiar with Israeli products and so thought nothing of it. However, when I offered the chocolate to the office director, she kindly refused, explaining that they are boycotting Israeli goods. Awkward for me, but a great reminder to remember where I am – on the other side of the Green Line.

Demonstration in support of the boycott
My ill-advised purchase :)

Though U.S. policy usually asks Palestinians to cooperate in the peace process, promote economic partnerships, and crack down on militant groups, it forgets that Palestinians also have the right to resist this occupation. Working for peace does not take away the need to resist the humiliations that accompany life here. I would like more Americans to realize all the ways in which Palestinians resist every day through their normal lives, without violence. I hope that this boycott will show the world a larger, more organized and poignant demonstration of this resistance.