boycott

Peter, a member of the IWPS Olive Harvest 2009, submitted a letter last week to the Independent newspaper.

His letter was published here

and it reads:

Israeli goods in UK supermarkets

I have recently returned from taking part in the olive harvest in the West Bank. In my encounters with the Israeli army, I was told that it was "protecting farmers from settlers". In reality, this amounted to preventing farmers from picking olives on their own land (by declaring it a "closed military area"), and failing to prevent settlers from leaving their illegally occupied hill-top to harass the farmers.

The group I was with had an interview with the local headmaster, who told us that his greatest concern was the pollution of the water-table by untreated sewage flowing from the settlement. Since our departure I have heard that settlers have cut down 95 olive trees (Maan news agency, 13 November) and raided the local village. They were escorted by the army, who fired tear gas and stun grenades.

Some of our supermarkets are complicit in supporting the Israeli occupation by labelling settlement products as being from the "West Bank". In a letter I received today from Morrisons, I am assured that the facility which produces its dates employs Palestinians and Israelis and is located in the "Jordan valley (Israel)". Morrisons appear not to know that the Jordan valley is Occupied West Bank and that any facility which employs Palestinians and Israelis is a settlement. Palestinian workers must get up at 3am to get through the checkpoint by 6am; they are paid $11 for eight hours' work; they have no contract or union and they include children aged between nine and 15.

I have given up buying any Israeli goods. The Palestinians I met approved.

Peter G Liddell

Boycotting Israeli goods has been an action taking place in many countries around the world, from right on out doorstep to inside Palestine and Israel themselves.

To find out more about boycotting actions have a look at the boycott, divestment and sanctions page where there are regular updates of boycott movements, groups and information on exactly why so many support the Palestinian cause in such a way.