Ma'ariv: "What Do They Want from the Palestinians?"
By Yariv Oppenheimer, Peace Now Secretary General
Those Palestinians, what ingrates. Instead of being happy that the Israeli economy has learned to exploit the lands of Judea and Samaria and to invest inordinate sums of money to build factories and industrial zones in the territories, the Palestinian Authority announces a boycott and a ban on purchasing Israeli goods that are manufactured in the settlements. We could have expected better from the Palestinians. Since we stole their land, established industrial zones in the territories and exploited the cheap labor that they were able to supply in abundance, the least they could do in return is to buy the products that are manufactured in the territories and help the Israeli economy continue to develop on the lands of the territories.
By Yariv Oppenheimer, Peace Now Secretary General
Those Palestinians, what ingrates. Instead of being happy that the Israeli economy has learned to exploit the lands of Judea and Samaria and to invest inordinate sums of money to build factories and industrial zones in the territories, the Palestinian Authority announces a boycott and a ban on purchasing Israeli goods that are manufactured in the settlements. We could have expected better from the Palestinians. Since we stole their land, established industrial zones in the territories and exploited the cheap labor that they were able to supply in abundance, the least they could do in return is to buy the products that are manufactured in the territories and help the Israeli economy continue to develop on the lands of the territories.
After all, the profits from Beigel&Beigel, which resides in the Barkan industrial zone, help pay the taxes to the Shomron Regional Council, by means of which the settlements are further expanded and new roads and other infrastructure are laid out for the illegal settlement outposts in its jurisdiction--definitely worthy causes that Palestinian funds ought to support. So it really isn't clear why suddenly, after all the years in which the Palestinians served the policy of occupation in the territories with their own hands and funds, top PA ministers stand up and declare a boycott on products manufactured in the settlements. What has changed? Has the Fayyad-Abbas government suddenly realized that it is wrong to operate solely on the basis of cursory economic expedience and that they ought to stop and think for a moment about their long-term political goals? Has the Palestinian people decided to fight the Israeli occupation not by violent means but by legitimate and more acceptable methods?
To be fair, one has to admit that the factories in the territories don't hurt only the Palestinians; industry in the territories hurts first and foremost the Israeli economy from an ethical, economic and political standpoint. Beyond the moral ill of the occupation itself and the seizing of hilltops and lands in the West Bank, moving factories to the territories allowed managers cynically to exploit thousands of jobless Palestinians and to pay them low wages, beneath minimum wage, and for the most part without any social benefits. For some reason, a majority of the human rights champions fell silent when the workers were Palestinian laborers who toiled away at exhausting jobs, without a pension, without economic security and without social benefits. Furthermore, by moving the factories in the territories and by using the cheap and available work force, potential Israeli workers lost their jobs to Palestinian workers.
From an economic standpoint, Israeli exports overseas suffer from waves of global opposition, inter alia, because of the construction of new factories and the establishment of new industrial zones in the West Bank. The abhorrence of products of the settlements engenders a lack of enthusiasm to buy products that were made inside Israel, mainly due to the inability to distinguish between factories that are situated within the Green Line and factories beyond it. Furthermore, the price of the international sanctions is borne by all citizens of Israel in the form of NIS 15 million in annual grants that are given as compensation to factories in the territories. Moreover, factories in the territories are given tax benefits by means of the National Priority Areas Map, all of which is at the expense of factories that are situated inside Israel and which were left outside the map and do not receive equal assistance from the state.
Immediately upon hearing the news of the intention to boycott products of the settlements, the leaders of the Settlers Council and government spokesmen launched a frontal attack on the Palestinian Authority, which they accused of breaking the rules of the game and of sabotaging peace efforts. We Israelis are not prepared to tolerate any sort of boycott or ostracism, and the State of Israel will not support sanctions against products or services rendered by a different country. Has there ever been a single MK or minister to have called for a consumers' boycott of Turkey, for instance? The Palestinians truly have crossed the line; boycotting products because of narrow ideological considerations is unbecoming a country. "The Palestinians are shooting themselves in the foot," said top industrialists with a typically patronizing tone. Instead of collaborating with the settlement factories, the Palestinians are prepared to sacrifice the meager wages for the sake of their national struggle for independence--truly a course of action that is unfathomable for Israelis.
Like a thief who asks his victim for payment, so too has Israel demanded that the Palestinians show their settler overlords their gratefulness and to continue to buy with their money products from the factories in the settlements.
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Yariv Oppenheimer is the Secretary General of Peace Now
To be fair, one has to admit that the factories in the territories don't hurt only the Palestinians; industry in the territories hurts first and foremost the Israeli economy from an ethical, economic and political standpoint. Beyond the moral ill of the occupation itself and the seizing of hilltops and lands in the West Bank, moving factories to the territories allowed managers cynically to exploit thousands of jobless Palestinians and to pay them low wages, beneath minimum wage, and for the most part without any social benefits. For some reason, a majority of the human rights champions fell silent when the workers were Palestinian laborers who toiled away at exhausting jobs, without a pension, without economic security and without social benefits. Furthermore, by moving the factories in the territories and by using the cheap and available work force, potential Israeli workers lost their jobs to Palestinian workers.
From an economic standpoint, Israeli exports overseas suffer from waves of global opposition, inter alia, because of the construction of new factories and the establishment of new industrial zones in the West Bank. The abhorrence of products of the settlements engenders a lack of enthusiasm to buy products that were made inside Israel, mainly due to the inability to distinguish between factories that are situated within the Green Line and factories beyond it. Furthermore, the price of the international sanctions is borne by all citizens of Israel in the form of NIS 15 million in annual grants that are given as compensation to factories in the territories. Moreover, factories in the territories are given tax benefits by means of the National Priority Areas Map, all of which is at the expense of factories that are situated inside Israel and which were left outside the map and do not receive equal assistance from the state.
Immediately upon hearing the news of the intention to boycott products of the settlements, the leaders of the Settlers Council and government spokesmen launched a frontal attack on the Palestinian Authority, which they accused of breaking the rules of the game and of sabotaging peace efforts. We Israelis are not prepared to tolerate any sort of boycott or ostracism, and the State of Israel will not support sanctions against products or services rendered by a different country. Has there ever been a single MK or minister to have called for a consumers' boycott of Turkey, for instance? The Palestinians truly have crossed the line; boycotting products because of narrow ideological considerations is unbecoming a country. "The Palestinians are shooting themselves in the foot," said top industrialists with a typically patronizing tone. Instead of collaborating with the settlement factories, the Palestinians are prepared to sacrifice the meager wages for the sake of their national struggle for independence--truly a course of action that is unfathomable for Israelis.
Like a thief who asks his victim for payment, so too has Israel demanded that the Palestinians show their settler overlords their gratefulness and to continue to buy with their money products from the factories in the settlements.
----------
Yariv Oppenheimer is the Secretary General of Peace Now
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You sure Yariv does not run treasonous weenies for the destruction of Israel Now?
For years Israeli politicians berated the Palestinians for protesting violently. Now when they choose other means, they are also berated. Why? Because it exposes the ugly truth: too many Israelis are willing to treat the Palestinians as the non-people Golda Meir once proclaimed them to be and if history tells us nothing it's that the first step to eradicating a people is to de-humanize them.
I used to think so highly of the noble Israeli people. What am I to think of a group of people that dehumanizes another group of people? It is viewed by me in the same way that I view those whom espouse Nazi literature and speak out against Jews.
I see that you only care when your the ones being dehumanized and you are more than willing to dehumanize another group of humanity. A boycott is an acceptable form of protest.
The people of planet earth knows very well who are the very ugly butchers of the Palestinian people. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, when our country the United States of America at will
Your sarcasm is well taken. Let's get the settlements dismantled and leave only Ariel and Maaleh Adumim after making peace and giving up the West Bank.
It would also be helpful if Americans knew the difference between settlements and places like Giloh and Pisgat Zeev. The Green Line ran through Beit Safafa in the valley below Gilot so it is not a settlement but a neighborhood.
It is possible to solve the problems in the Middle East.
If we treat the reasons of the problem then it is very possible.
Mankind has been committing a mistake since many years… hundreds and thousands of years. Religion is a way of life, and a relation between God and man. The BIG BIG mistake mankind is committing is that they consider religion as an identity. Religion is not an identity. It is not a state. It is not even an ideology… If the Jewish people (and the Muslims) stopped seeking identity in religion then the problem of the Jewish people (Diaspora) will be solved. Automatically it is a solution to the Palestinian problem.
Religion is not an identity or ideology: this is the solution. All people share the same identity: Human beings.
Considering religion as an identity or ideology makes people not accepting others and this leads to hate… and hate is a “computer” virus that destroys nations.
Not accepting others leads to hate: this is a virus that destroys nations.
• It is the virus that caused the collapse of Nazi Germany.
• This is the virus that caused the collapse of Apartheid in South Africa.
• This is the virus that explains Holocaust nr.1 for 2000-3000 years ago when Assyrians defeated the Israelis.
• This is the virus that explains Holocaust nr. 2 when the crusades killed all Jews (and Muslims) in Jerusalem.
• This is the virus that explains Holocaust nr.3 when the Muslims and Jews defeated in Andalusia/ancient Spain.
• This is the very same virus that explains that latest Holocaust nr. 4 in Nazi Germany during World War 2.
Considering religion as an identity or ideology is a virus that destroys nations.
If people continue seeking identity in religion there will be more Holocausts.
Religion is good, all religions are good. But paradoxically seeking identity in religion leads to hate and this is a self destructive “computer” virus (as history has learned us).
To help the Jewish and the Muslim people to avoid further Holocaust they ought to quit seeking identity in religion.
Thank you.
adnan.chatila@tele2.se