The surrender of Benetton to international pressure and the cancellation of its Kappa subsidiary's plans to manufacture sports clothes in the Barkan industrial area are the latest news in the developing economic boycott against international companies involved in East Jerusalem and the territories in recent months.
The campaign against Benetton began at the initiative of the "Peace Bloc" group, a radical left organization, which in recent years has been promoting a boycott of products from Israeli settlements in the territories. According to the Peace Bloc, this includes any settlement over the Green Line, including the Golan and East Jerusalem.
The Peace Bloc was founded in 1992 by Uri Avneri and a group of Arab and Jewish leftist activists to bring about the creation of a PLO-Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. The boycott of Jewish settlement products is one of its central activities.
As part of the boycott, the Peace Bloc distributes a list of companies with enterprises in East Jerusalem, the territories, and the Golan. The list, which includes more than 100 Israeli companies, includes Readymix Industries (concrete), Ahava (cosmetics), the Golan wineries, Tempo, Flik (office accessories), and Pladelet. The Peace Bloc distributes the information it collects both to its activists in Israel and groups abroad opposing Israeli settlements in the territories.
Two years ago, the movement began a public campaign against Ben & Jerry's, which signed an agreement with Eden Springs, which operates in Katzrin, for producing sorbet. Ben & Jerry's, which had planned to make Israel a regional production center for Europe and the Mediterranean basin, surrendered to pressure and cancelled the agreement. The Peace Bloc was also involved in the campaign against Burger King, which retracted plans to open a branch in Maale Adumim. The cancellation last Thursday of Benetton's plans for establishing a factory in Barkan is the latest result of its activity - successful by its lights and destructive according to its opponents.
According to Adam Keller, Peace Bloc chief activist and spokesman, "it is difficult to estimate the economic effectiveness of the boycott. For us, it is more important to damage the settlers' feeling of legitimacy. Judging by the reaction of Arutz 7 (the settlers' radio station), we touched a raw nerve."
Globes: What is your annual budget?
Keller: "The budget is in the tens of thousands of dollars. In my opinion, the Peace Bloc's budget is a tiny fraction of the Judea, Samaria, and Gaza Settlers' Council budget, and I think our achievements are considerable in relation to our resources."
What means are available to you in your public campaign?
"The most important tool we have is the Internet." It is an electronic-political revolution, because it enables a small group with a limited budget to organize effective publicity quickly."
Which groups are you in contact with abroad?
"We are in contact with a variety of political groups, including non-Islamic Arab groups in the US, like the Ant-Discrimination Committee; US Jewish organizations, such as Jewish peace groups and feminist groups, and groups like the Quakers. We also have extensive connections with European groups active with European governmental institutions. We are in touch with the EU in Brussels and in Israel. They decided a year ago that products from the territories will not enjoy the benefits of Israeli products in Europe. To make the decision effective, an order of the commission is needed requiring Israeli goods to carry a certificate of origin."
You are accused of hating Israel. What is the difference between your boycott and the Arab boycott?
"We campaign for a boycott of companies operating over the green line, not those operating within the 1948 borders. There was a trend among Arab organizations and organizations which were active in the boycott of South Africa to boycott all Israeli products. We tried to persuade them to distinguish between products manufactured within the green line and those manufactured in the territories occupied in 1967. It appeared that we succeeded, because even the Arab League, which operates the Arab boycott, declared that it had no objection to a company opening branches in Tel Aviv, only to one in the territories. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first official retraction of boycott and acceptance of Israel by the Arab League."
Settlers' Council: Boycott Ineffective
Council of Judea, Samaria, & Gaza director-general Momo Silber told "Globes" that the Peace Bloc's boycott is having no effect on sales in the local market. Silber admits difficulty in attracting enterprises to the territories. He explains the difficulty as due to fear of European boycott. According to Silber, the periphery always has difficulty attracting investments, regardless of boycotts. Silber hailed the article on the Peace Bloc, since "every article on this extremist organization is to the good of the Jews in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza."
Council of Judea, Samaria, & Gaza spokesman Yehoshua Mor Yosef added: "the Peace Bloc constitutes a real rival to the Arab League for the title of chief Israel hater." According to him, "anyone who accepts the boycott of the Barkan plant will find himself facing a boycott of plants in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem."
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 13 October, 1999