Azhar Zeeshan<\/p>\n
The word \u201cBoycott\u201d is as old as the word \u201cZionism.\u201d It is a tactic that has been repeatedly employed in history to put an end to class, race, religious, and colonial injustice. The term became popular in 1880 when it first gained prominence during an Irish peasant move\u00adment aimed at preventing evictions by landlords. However, it is pertinent to mention that it was not the first time that such a tactic was employed. For instance, in 1830, in the US, the Na\u00adtional Negro Convention, supported a boycott of goods pro\u00adduced by the slave, a movement that gained traction among White and Black abolitionists during the 19th Century.
\nThis promising beginning of the boycott, aimed at restoring the land and freedom of peasants and slaves, served as a source of inspiration for such movements in the 20th Century. Some of the prominent movements in this regard include the Indian boycott of Brit\u00adish goods which began in 1919 to end British colonialism in India, and the anti-South African Apartheid boycott that began in the 1960s.
\nThe anti-South African Apartheid boycott is particularly important owing to the fact that the movement inspired the boycott movement against Israel and thus merits a mention. The movement against Apart\u00adheid South Africa kicked off in 1968 when the country banned a tour by the England cricket team due to the presence of a mixed-race play\u00ader, Basil D\u2019Oliveira in the said team. After that, South Africa was exclud\u00aded not only from international cricket but also from other sports. This is followed by a more comprehensive boycott which included a ban on the sale of South African products in the European markets. The boycott against Israel, as mentioned above, is inspired by the boycott against apartheid South Africa. The first international call to boycott came in 2005 from the platform of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Israel (BDS) movement which was launched by a vast coalition of groups including the Democratic Socialists of America, and the US Campaign for Palestin\u00adian Rights. The BDS movement advocates for individual actions such as boycotting specific goods and companies associated with Israel. Addi\u00adtionally, it also calls for Boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, and even to refrain from working with Israeli universities and academics that help prop up dehumanising narratives about Palestinians.
\nThe calls for boycotting goods, companies, universities, and oth\u00ader entities associated with Israel have garnered responses, and it has indeed yielded results. For instance, in May 2023, Sam Smith, the ac\u00adclaimed Brit and Grammy award-winning artist, cancelled a planned performance in Tel Aviv in response to widespread calls for a boycott against performing in apartheid Israel. Sam Smith\u2019s decision is not one of its kind, as other artists have also taken similar actions. Elvis Costel\u00adlo cancelled his performance in 2010. Furthermore, in 2017, Seattle Seahawks player Michael Bennett withdrew from a trip sponsored by the Israeli government, citing Muhammad Ali as a role model who \u201cstood strongly with the Palestinian people\u201d.
\nMoreover, the boycotting campaign against Israel has also persuad\u00aded several high-profile companies such as the famous ice cream maker Ben & Jerry\u2019s to halt their operations in Israel. Similarly, the renowned French corporate giant \u201cVeolia,\u201d which had been involved in the con\u00adstruction of the \u2018Jerusalem Light Rail,\u2019 withdrew from Israel after in\u00adcurring a billion-dollar loss due to the termination of several contracts in the wake of the boycott campaign. Moreover, the French telecom company \u201cOrange\u201d discontinued sales in occupied Palestinian territo\u00adries and subsequently terminated its business partnership with Israel altogether. More recently, companies like McDonald\u2019s, which distrib\u00aduted free meals to Israeli Defence Force soldiers during the ongoing Gaza War, and Starbucks, which took legal action against its workers\u2019 union for sharing Pro-Palestine content online, are experiencing a sig\u00adnificant decline in their sales. The CEO of McDonald\u2019s openly admitted that \u201cthe chain is facing a substantial impact on its business, as cus\u00adtomers in the region and beyond are boycotting the brand.\u201d
\nThough it is hard to ascertain the extent to which the boycott move\u00adment against Israel has harmed the Israeli economy, there are indica\u00adtions of potential harm. For instance, according to a report from the global policy think tank Rand Corporation, the nonviolent boycott movement against Israel is estimated to result in a loss of approximate\u00adly $15 billion in the country\u2019s gross domestic product.
\nIn conclusion, the ongoing boycott against Israel holds substantial sig\u00adnificance, and as individuals, our contributions to this movement, though seemingly modest, collectively convey a potent message in the pursuit of justice and equality. <\/p>\n
Courtesy
\nAs explored in the main text, the economic repercus\u00adsions of the boycott on Israel cannot be understated. The pressure exert\u00aded by conscientious consumers has prompted major corporations such as McDonald\u2019s, Starbucks, and Ben & Jerry\u2019s to reassess their operations in Israel and reconsider their stance on the Gaza-Israel conflict. This shift in corporate policies underscores the undeniable impact of boycott on shaping global perspectives and influencing economic decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Azhar Zeeshan The word \u201cBoycott\u201d is as old as the word \u201cZionism.\u201d It is a tactic that has been repeatedly employed in history to put an end to class, race, religious, and colonial injustice. The term became popular in 1880 when it first gained prominence during an Irish peasant move\u00adment aimed at preventing evictions by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13291],"class_list":{"0":"post-387941","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-azhar-zeeshan"},"yoast_head":"\n