If You Are Going to Boycott Israel, Do It Right

An impressive list of Palestinian organizations can be found on the call for sanctions against Israel. The request is for the isolation of Israel from the international community until it ends the occupation and dismantles the Wall, allows all the refugees to return to their pre-1948 homes within Israel proper and recognizes the rights of Arab citizens of Israel to full equality.

I will not at this point go into an explanation of how that is, in fact, a call for the dismantling of Israel as a nation and its absorption into a greater Arab Palestinian state (and how long that would survive as an independent state before the neighboring Arab countries started fighting on how to divide up the land among themselves). Nor will I contest the last comment, which ignores the fact that, while discrimination does exist (since Israel is far from being a perfect society), Arab citizens are equal before the law.

The purpose of this article is not to defend Israel but, rather, to suggest the best way to punish us.

When I was a student of agriculture in the mid-1970s, first in Winnipeg and later in Reading, I met students from Arab countries. One student from Iraq told me that in spite of the obvious boycott against the enemy Israel, he did know that Iraq was importing Israeli vegetables through a third, neutral country. He didn't tell me how he knew the vegies were Israeli, but perhaps as a agricultural specialist he really did know.

Perhaps that crack in the economic boycott wall is the secret behind Israel's stubborn survival and that gave me the idea that, in order for a boycott to be successful, it must be sealed hermetically.

To make a truly effective boycott campaign, you need to cease buying and using all Israeli products.

What follows is a list of Israeli products you are advised NOT TO BUY. Remember, any crack in the wall means that Israel will still function as an economically viable state, so be careful next time you go shopping. We devious Israelis will not make your task any easier by putting an Israeli flag on the packaging nor by writing anything in Hebrew anywhere in sight. If the product is white with a particular shade of blue that might be a hint regarding its origins, but don't expect these colors to feature on all Israeli products.

This little gadget is an Israeli invention. Every time you use one, you are supporting Israeli innovation even if you do not support the economy by buying from a company without ties to Israel. SanDisk was founded by three people, one of whom is Israeli (he is no longer with the firm). There is still an Israeli Vice President on the payroll, so you may want to stay clear of all SanDisk products, such as memory cards for cameras and some games, SSDs and other products, some of which have been snuck into your computers, showing total disrespect for BDS.

Before your next purchase, make sure you ask your computer retailer if there are, by chance, Israeli components in it. If he or she looks at you with a totally confused expression, make sure to verify for yourself the origin of all the hardware in the computer and only buy it if there are no Israeli parts in it. Chances are we tricky Israelis have found our way into many of the computer products on the market so you may have to look around for quite some time until you find one without.

Israel is known for its security-related products, one of which is the Rav Bariach Security Door. The first steel door with multiple cylinders that penetrate the door-frame when locked is an Israeli invention. These are now sold around the world, protecting homes and offices from burglary so before install your next new door, make sure it is not one from this Israeli company.

GridON is a device that protects electric grids from the harmful effects of sudden electrical surges and other faults. You will not use this in your home because it is built for large industrial applications. While their homepage talks about Australian and UK affiliations, you find out on their "About Us" page that it is an Israeli invention. Therefore, check with your utility company to make sure they are not using this technology and insist they find something without an Israeli connection (so to speak).

There are so many more Israeli inventions I could present here, but I think you get the idea - and besides, I don't want to bore you with an exhaustive list.

The point is, if you want a boycott against Israel to succeed, you have to act fast - we are already so active in computer technology, medical innovation and even children's games it makes your head spin. If you want to hamstring the Israeli economy you better close it down now before closing us down comes at the peril of life as peoples the world 'round have all come to know it.

"Times of Israel" is an online news site. I have a blog there in which I discuss current events in the Middle East, especially Israel.