A campaign to de-shelve Israeli products at Trader Joe’s that kicked off in Pittsburgh last month has gone national and is beginning to ruffle feathers.
Activists from the Pittsburgh-Palestine Solidarity Committee and other Western Pennsylvania groups have launched a consumer boycott of Israeli products, focusing on Trader Joe’s stores as an initial target, in part due to the company’s charter of social responsibility and community partnership.
That campaign was quickly met by a similar effort in the San Francisco Bay area, and soon after took on a national level, with boycott actions planned for New York, Boston, Cleveland, Seattle, and Portland among others.
Activists have designated June 20th, World Refugee Day, as national day to deshelve Israeli products (Facebook Group). This Saturday’s actions will focus on Trader Joe’s stores around the country. Look for boycott action at your local Trader Joe’s, or organize action your self. For one thing, the cool Pittsburgh crew made this DIY video for you, another reason is the campaign seems to have gotten the attention of many Zionist group, especially the ADL, who have gone on the offenisve in many of their affiliated publications such as the Examiner and Atlantic.
Related posts:
- Motorola Drops Israeli Wireless Division MIRS
- Boycott Israeli Dance Company on US/Canada Tour
- Hollywood Stars Shun Pro-Israeli Diamond Store
- South African Dock Workers Refuse to Offload Israeli Goods
- PSM: March 30th Declared National Day of Divestment Action
Taken to its full logical conclusion the bible should be boycotted since it is the ultimate Israeli product
Posted by Mohamad | June 20, 2009, 8:38 pmDidn't see any mishigas at my local TJs in the south part of San Francisco Bay. Looking forward to some cilantro flavored couscous with feta for dinner.
Posted by Emile | June 20, 2009, 9:50 pmEnjoy those as you watch the next wave of israeli war crimes and their slaughter of yet more men, women, children and little babies. Yum, yum. Gun barrel lickin' good. Oh! Cousecous is an Arab and Turkish dish and feta is Greek. Can't those israelis come up with some of their own foods? They are none, you say? Hmmm. So, they stole those, too?
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:33 pmIsraeli products? Such as?
I can't wait until the day Americans have the balls to boycott Chinese products. Clothing stores would be empty. As would electronics and computer stores. And Department stores. All we'd have left would be food, real estate and cars. Which is really all anyone needs, anyway, right?
Posted by programmer craig | June 21, 2009, 1:19 amSome extremist clerics in the Middle East have already called for boycotting Israeli technology to – like the Intel chip in computers and life-saving medical devices. He used Israeli technology to record and broadcast his racist message.
Posted by William | June 22, 2009, 7:34 pmThanks, Pittsburgh for all you're doing! Dont let these creeps get you down! Dismantle Apartheid! End Racism! Free Palestine!
Posted by Concerned Semite | June 21, 2009, 2:25 amI do hope Pittsburgh is planning on protests and boycotts on many Arab States if they are truly fighting for racism and apartheid. Like Iran's horrible abuse of gays and B'hais, like the recent demolition of their cemeteries. Or the blocking of any Jew from visiting Saudi Arabia. Or the subjugation and abuse of non-Arab Muslim workers from Africa or India, in parts of the Gulf. Or the systematic attack on Christians in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. Or the shooting in the back of unarmed Sudanese refugees by Egyptian personnel as they run for the Israeli border.
Do the Pittsburgh protesters support human rights for children? Do they protest the use of children by Palestinians to carry weapons as couriers to get by checkpoints? Or to use them to test IDF reaction when they approach the border in the middle of the night, away from all population centers? Or to distract IDF soldiers by throwing rocks while snipers hide behind them? Or to retrieve rocket launchers or be used as human shields to protect Hamas fighters? Or to be denied healthcare as Fatah and Hamas quibble over who is really in charge and can send the sick child to Israel for treatment? Or the childhood that is stolen from them through systematic brainwashing that has them singing praises for suicide bombers in school and the chant "Arabs are superior, Jews are our dogs"?
Posted by William | June 23, 2009, 6:06 pmBoycotting Israel at Whole Foods Market:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhpppAWMJ9g
It's on YouTube.
Posted by All bellyache. | June 21, 2009, 3:34 amBoycotting Israel at the Co-op:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCL4bVHkH_A
That video is also on YouTube.
Posted by All bellyache. | June 21, 2009, 3:35 amShow me the pictures of the starving Palestinians and I might consider the boycott. There are lots of pictures of starving Sudanese on the web, yet you speak nothing about boycotting Chinese products.
Palestinians living in Israel get to vote? Palestinians living outside (in Gaza and the West Bank) just finished hurling thousands of rockets into Israel and Israel retaliated. What's the gripe?
Prove to me that you are not acting hypocritically, and that your motives are pure, and I'll join you. It is easy to say 'unfair,' but just like in the Iranian elections, the world (and I) demand more proof.
Posted by Edward | June 21, 2009, 12:53 pmPalestinians and even Syrians have a right under International Law to use any means at their disposal to dispel their illegal occupierswhether it is rockets or stones, they have the right. Their land was stolen and the israelis have violated virtually every law that prohibits the mistreatment of of humans, seizure, confiscation and theft of their land, destruction of their homes and over 500 Arab villages,, businesses, orchards and crops, and the wanton and cold-blooded murder of civilians, torture, and let us not omit their commission of war crimes and atrocities. Robert Fisk said it best when he wrote that israelis always get away with it. My best quote: Everytime I hear someone say that Israel is the only friend we have in the Middle East I recall when before there was an israel we had no enemies in the Middle East. So, there you have it, folks.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 6:47 pmYes – they do have the right to resist, but not through violence if negotiations are an viable option. They were well in 2000 until Arafat insisted more concessions could be extracted through violence and threats, and effectively lost every gain the Pals made since Oslo! Nice job. Your mention of Robert Fisk is amusing – his motto is "Fact-checking, who has the time for that??" Before you speak of Israel's inhumane actions, do not forget the lynching of two Israeli reservists in cold-blood at hands of Pals, the sniping of children in their parents' cars, the targeting of playgrounds and eateries by suicide bombers, and the family gathering for Passover. Don't forget that every time roadblocks are relaxed to help average Pals, terrorists groups take advantage to move weapons into Israel for attacks. And this whole mess started in 1920 when Al-Husseini, YOUR Grand Mufti, called for racist attacks on Jews there, even those who lived their for centuries and weren't necessarily Zionists – before there ever was a Haganah, Stern Gang, or Palmah. While Israel grows and prospers, the Pals still sit their filth dreaming of the genocide of all Jews and the death of Israel.
Posted by William | June 22, 2009, 7:29 pm…and you are disregarding the 60 plus years of murder, mayhem, pain, suffering, anguish and so on that jews inflicted in arabs and the many, many thousands of deaths, the tortures, demolition of homes, and on and on and rachelk corrie, the numerous reporters, and there is no end to israeli war crimes while you site a few examples of some arabs who are crazed from their suffering at the hands o those racist jews who dare say that they are the light unto the world? I happend to be here and i spent several hours posting my comments but i know now that it all serves no use addressing diseased minds who condone and support war crimes and atrocites. go online and read the poem by israeli poet dan almagor titled we shoot children, tooand i will be gone – read it in its entirety, william. no cheating, now, y'heah?
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 8:05 pmAnd you're disregarding the 28 years years of Arab mayhem, destruction, killing civilians, stealing homes and synagogues only to desecrate them with livestock and human waste. You disregard the years of legal land purchases by Jews at highly speculative prices for which now the Arabs claim "sellers remorse". You disregard the very racist action by the UN of giving the Pals a very specific organization to deal with refugees (which they haven't successfully fixed yet) and laws that allowed any Pal with more than 2 years history to be a refugee (including their subsequent generations). NO ONE else has that right in the world – NO ONE.
HAHAHA – "We shoot children". Ok, did you find that next to the famous quotes of Ben Gurion saying "First we get the land then we'll pull all the native Arabs out". You should know very well that all that is posted on the 'net is not valid. Perhaps, that's how your whole narrative continues to live…it avoids the stinging light of truth. I'm all for a peaceful 2-State solution where both sides can live in security….with final negotiations occurring just after the publication of the Turkish land records and the British census citing unequivocally that most Pals never owned their land and were infact settlers. The fact that Arabs spoke 22 languages, including Bosnian, in 1932 is a pretty big indication that the "centuries of history" narrative is a big lie.
As for Rachel Corrie…well, play in a military zone…She made her bed and now lies in it. What you disregard is some of the testimony that was covered up quickly by ISM. Some ISM activists at the sight stated that they always know the IDF to stop when they block their way and believed the driver couldn't see her. Photos released by ISM of her on the ground (how gruesome to do that) were cited as "staged" by several intl forensic investogators because the tracks didn't match the wounds on Corrie, and the shadows of the sun didn't correspond with the time of day of the incident.
But why let truth get in the way of your self-righteous diatribe?
Posted by William | June 23, 2009, 5:53 pmRe-word of first sentence – "You disregard the 28 years of Arab mayhem, destruction, killing civilians, stealing homes and synagogues only to desecrate them with livestock and human waste – all prior to Israel's re-birth. Actually – I THANK the Arabs. Because of their blatant racism and use of violence, they mobilized the Jews to build security forces to protect themselves. Their public calls for Jewish genocide in 1948 mobilized the Jews to fight hard – despite being under-manned, out-armed, and just a rag-tag group. AND I THANK the Arabs for continuing that racism by forcing out 700,000 Jews from their States in the 1950s onward – which doubled our population in Israel and gave us a huge workforce that built the country rapidly – on sweat equity (without much funds). Compare that to your Pals who are the biggest welfare recipients in the world and still can't build a decent sewer line in Gaza.
Posted by William | June 23, 2009, 5:57 pm"Before Israel, we had no enemies in the Middle East" – HAHAHAHAHA
Muslim raiders were taking US ships since the 1790s!! The Arabs attacked the British in 1920 in Egypt because they brought with them "a decadent lifestyle". Since the US really didn't enter the region until the 1950s, they were not the focus of any Arab animosity. You should change your quote to "The US had no enemies in the Middle East until the Soviets began to make friends there" – Admit it – the ME is the Superpowers' playground for control, and has nothing to do with Israel – except that Israel rejected the Communist ideology of brutality and hegemony that countries like Syria, Iraq, and Egypt have embraced.
Posted by William | June 22, 2009, 7:33 pmI'm looking forward to buying lots and lots of couscous, feta cheese and other Israeli made goods at Trader Joe's on June 20th to commemorate Israel's successful absorption of 800,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries. What a difference in how those refugees were treated by their brethren; housing, schools and economic opportunities were given them so that in spite of the losses of their homes and property in the Arab world, they could move on to contribute positively to the society they became a part of. It speaks very poorly of the Arab world who could have chosen to do the same for the 600,000 Palestinian refugees. Isn't it better to allow people to live in dignity than to suffer as political pawns?
Posted by Rob | June 21, 2009, 4:10 pmYeah, like the all-white israeli school that closed down some years ago because they refused to allow a schwartze (black) Ethiopian Falasha student to sit among white Jew students, or when they had a blood drive and black Falashas participated and then discovered that white (supremist?) Jews threw away their blood rather than transfer it into the bodies of white Jews. Now, are those good enough reasons for you? Mind you, that was not even anything to do with Arabs but with fellow Jews of a different skin color.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 6:39 pmYou mean like all those Iraq Jews that fled to israel when they originally refused to go there and the Jews sent by Mossad were instructed to blow up a synagogue and spread leaflets all over warning Jews to leave or every man, woman and child will be killed and made to look like Arabs were the culprits? Israeli investigative reporter Naeem Giladi revealed that monstrous act years ago. Or, perhaps those Russian Jews whose young women had to resort to prostitution to survive because they were denied financial assistance? You failed to mention that those Sephardic (Arab) Jews are still treated like second-class citizens.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 6:53 pmWhat kind of moron are you? Actually, you are a vile slug. You make up your facts and then spread them as truth. One fact to clarify your ignorance is that the Falashas were brought to Israel by Israelis. I don;t see any Arabs providing shelter for their abused brethren in, say, Sudan.
Posted by Sk in GN | June 25, 2009, 1:41 pmI didn't shop before at Trader Joe's, but now I think I will. Gee, couscous and feta cheese sound like a great lunch idea. Thanks for the blog!
Posted by Lauren | June 21, 2009, 4:31 pmJust remember the slogan: Buy an israeli made product and provide another bullet to kill another Palestinian manb, woman, child or baby. Have you seen the picture in The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs of an israeli soldier wearing a green T-shirt with a drawing of a pregnant woman on it and the cross hairs are on her belly and the text reads "1 shot, 2 kills"? You gotta have no heart; lots and lots and lots of no heart…
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 6:56 pmMore couscous suggestions (courtesy of my mom) available at http://www.divestthis.com.
Posted by Jon | June 21, 2009, 6:17 pmThis deshelving is the stupidest idea I have ever heard of. The standard of living of all Palestinians living in Israel is higher that those living anywhere else (except for Palestinian leaders — see next sentence). The standard of living of Palestinians in the territories is low not because Israel hasn't tried to help, but because Palestinian leaders turn down the help to make sure that those Palestinian's live in poverty. Do you know how much money has gone to Yasir Arafat (when alive) and to Palestinian leaders who has succeeded him? The waste and the graft is obscene.
Posted by Yosif | June 21, 2009, 7:41 pmYour fuller knowledge of the plight and suffering of the Palestinians can fit into a peabut shell – and still have room for the peanuts.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 6:58 pmActually – Yosif's comment reflects those put forward by several Palestinian and Arab editorials and academics. There is truth in Israel's attempt to help but was denied, like building high-rises in Gaza to alleviate the congestion problem but the PLO both threatened Israel AND Gazans who would move in with violence. Arafat was also known to threaten those who move out of the refugee camps which could kill the good PR Pals LOVE to exploit. Tough to feel bad for a person in a refugee camp driving a nice car, with a satellite dish on their roof. But the UNWRA is just as guilty in keeping the situation horrid for the Pals. In reality, as cited by several Gazans recently – conditions were very good under Israel during the 1970s and in the latter 1990s when Pals traveled freely into Israel and had the fastest growing economy in the world – But who cares about that if you get the chance to kill a few Jews, huh?
Posted by William | June 22, 2009, 7:23 pmWe made a family outing to Trader Joe's yesterday specifically to buy a dozen boxes of Israeli cous cous and 3 packages of Pastures of Eden feta. We always shop at Trader Joe's, but this time it felt very good to support this great company and Israel. As my friend said, the only thing the Palestinans produce are terrorists…and we sure don't want them!
Posted by Susan | June 21, 2009, 7:45 pmYou really cannot call Palestinians who have had their lands stolen "terrorists" and here is why: If someone came to your house and pushed an American-made rifle in your face and told you and your family including young children to leave or die how would YOU react? If you sought revenge against your oppressor would YOU be a terrorist? If someoned uprooted the orchard or grove of trees that provided your only source of income and reduced to to abject poverty and you took action against such a crime would YOU be a terrorist? If your father was beaten to death, your mother tortured, your sister raped and your brother tortured and you sought retaliation against such atrocities would YOU be a terrorist? Sahll I go on? …and on, and on, and on, and…
Posted by owza | June 22, 2009, 7:03 pmComment from my new-lawyer daughter — Gee, we could boycott Palestinian 'stuff', except they don't make ANYTHING! Guess all that money we spent on 7 years of college (also something not well known by Palestinians–their learning experience consists of destruction) was worth it! Bought some great Israeli food at T.J.'s.
Posted by Lulu | June 21, 2009, 8:44 pmLulu, if the US had sided with the Palestinians in 1948 and given THEM over 100 billion dollars since 1948 and vetoed UN Resolutions initiated against them, and the Arabs did to the Jews what the Jews did to them, would you enjoy eating felafel, couscous, hummus, and all those other great tasting Arab foods? Oh, excuse me… Jews now claim that couscous, felefael, hummus, et alia are iSRAELI foods. They stole Arab land, stole their income, robbed them of their self-worth, murdered their families, and now they stole their food as well. Wow, Lulu! Some sentiment from you, huh?
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:09 pmWhat a pompous, self-righteous, inhumane excuse for a woman! You people are the ones that give yourselves a bad name. You force people to hate you. How vile and revolting!
Posted by thedissenter | March 14, 2011, 6:51 pmThank goodness for this boycott. Now Trader Joes is going to go bankrupt, and Israel is going to go down the tubes. Oh, wait. I am reading that the deshelving boycott actually brought more business to Trader Joes. Those damn Jews. What are they doing messing up our plans again. So it is true — the Jews do control the world, and this is incontrovertable proof of it. We try to pull off a simple action and it is subterfuged by Jews. Maybe another approach will work. How about instead we teach our children how to get along instead of lobbing rockets. Nah. Lobbing rockets is more fun, and I don't want to go to work anyway.
Posted by Rob | June 21, 2009, 9:34 pmThere is more truth in your comical remarks than you realize, Rob. And no, the deshelvbing project has not increased sales at TJ's unless you can provide evidence to the contrary.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:11 pmThese comments are just disgusting and pathetic, as well as just another attempt to distort the truth and facts about the illegal land grabbing by Israel. Not to mention the inhumane and racist way that government treats non Jews. It’s a good thing the internet is a free area where people can search and find the truth and move past the propaganda and false cover ups you all try to make.
Israel is a racist government that illegally STOLE/STEALS Palestinian land, humiliates and oppresses the people they stole/steal it from, and commits mass genocide and ethnic cleansing, and we all saw it live in the new year (they couldn’t cover that one up).
The boycott is gaining momentum, and your pathetic purchases of a couple of boxes will not hinder the results, so nice try, how about contacting that government for a change.
Posted by face_the_truth | June 22, 2009, 2:19 amHear, hear!
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:11 pmCommits mass genocide and ethnic cleansing? With what…fertilizer?? The Arab populations in Gaza, West Bank, and inside Israel have only grown. Or do you consider this a "slow genocide" (as some liberals claim in order to still feel validated) which is on the same level as natural death? This is a tired diatribe repeated ad nauseum by idiots like yourself who never visited the region or visited and stayed with a Pal family in order to make their decision. Truth is – in 1917, on 5% of the land was in private hands, in the 1930s tens of thousands of illegal Arab immigrants streamed into today's Israel every month, and in 1920 began the Arab quest to rid the entire region of Jews – building momentum on the Nazi's Final Solution in the late 1930s. Regarding inhumane treatment by Israeli's govt – please give me a list of incidents? Will you equally include those of Pals, like the death of a Pal for selling his home to a Jew, or immediate death to supposed collaborators without a trial, or the call for NO JEWS inside a Pal future State, even if they would accept Palestinian citizenship and laws? Somehow, I think you might overlook those racist actions as "democracy". Putz!
Posted by William | June 22, 2009, 7:14 pm"Face the Truth": yours and your ilk's leftist rants at Israel, incorporating the usual lies and exaggerations (they commit "mass genocide"??? What??), are getting tired and rather pathetic. That's why they're largely ignored, except by others of your silly group. the anti-globalizationistas, socialists, or whatever you are. You want "peace and justice"? Get the so-called "Palestinians" to actually ACCEPT a state of their own, recognize the Jews' right to their long-denied and globally accepted ancestral homeland, and get rid of the Hamas thugs. What did the Palestinian Authority do with the billion$ of US tax dollars that have gone to them? Have they built a society? Answer that one, idiots, and get back to us. Meanwhile: we LOVE Israeli produce and products!! Thank you Trader Joe!
Posted by Lucas, USA | June 23, 2009, 4:57 amAw, good to see that a Hillel intern is keeping him/herself busy!
Posted by SanaKF | June 22, 2009, 2:34 amYou know, Israel is the only country in the world that has given back captured territory (Sinai) in exchange for peace, or to have given up captured territory in exchange for nothing (Gaza), and still be accused of 'land grabbing.' Please, "face_the_truth", study your history. There is no such thing (yet) as "Palestinian land" (hence the name "occupied territories"). However, there would have been Palestinian land if the Palestinian 'leaders' would have sincerely worked toward a real peace instead of whining. It could have been all over if our leader "Yasir" had had the guts to strike the deal with Clinton and Barak (Ehud, that is)12 years ago. Hey, Barak was taking a big gamble too. Once territorial boundaries are established, then if Israel treads over them, then it is a 'land grab'. Until then, its just settlement in territories just like England did, France did, the US did and many, many other countries did. And if building fences keeps out bombers and those trying to kill or injure civilians, then we deserve it (just like the US on the Mexican border, only without the bomb threat). (end part1)
Posted by Rob | June 22, 2009, 10:55 amYou gotta to learn more about what went on back then. Jews gave up the Sinai because they were promised three billion US dollars every year, military support, and the list of freebies to the Jews is virtually endless. If there is no such thiong as a Palestinian land why has it been recorded throughout thousands of years of its history? There must be a book titled "The Zionist Handbook on How to Lie and Deceive". And get it satraight, Rob. Arafat did in fact tell Barak that if he signed such an unjust agreement his peopole would kill him, and Barak said that if he agreed to Arafat's demands then he would be booted out of office. No need to respond to your remaining diatribe.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:19 pmConsidering that the whole of Israel is on stolen land that's quite the feat. Besides, keeping "captured" territory is against international law, not that Israel cares about that.
Posted by thedissenter | March 14, 2011, 6:52 pm(part 2) Israel is, however, 'different' in your eyes for some reason, but for the life of me, I cannot fathom why. Prove to me Israeli's "racism". (You want racism — try being a Jew or Christian in Iran, Iraq, Egypt or even "Palestine".) I have an open mind, see all the accusations, but just don't see the proof. (Look it's not easy being an Arab in Israel, but its not easy being black in the US. But for the most part, those relationships are improving because both sides are working at it. And whites in America don't walk around with a constant fear that blacks are going to blow up their buses. Israeli's have that fear, and rationally so.)
Posted by Rob | June 22, 2009, 10:55 amScroll up and read what I wrote about the treatment of Ethipian blacks who were allowed to make "aliyah" just to increase the Jew's voting population and the subsequent way that they were treated. You know not how racist those Jews are until you go there and live among the Palestinians as manby other Jews have done. They came back with a reverse opinion of their Arab hosts. Or, spare yourself the time and money and read about that racism on the Internet.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:22 pmUh, Rob… I’m an American Jew. I look… pretty damn Jew-y. I’ve been to Israel, and I’ve been to Palestine. Being a Jew in the West Bank wasn’t bad.
As for Israel… have you LOOKED AROUND THE GODDAMN COUNTRY lately? “Prove Israel’s racism” to you?
Gee, let’s start with land discrimination. The Jewish National Fund controls the land that 70% of Israelis live on, and it does everything in its power to avoid letting any non-Jews on its land (google and educate thineself).
To be an Arab Israeli is to be constantly discriminated against in housing, jobs, etc.
The situation ISN’T improving for Israeli Arabs, because progress ISN’T being made. You want success? Look at Singapore. The government wanted people to integrate, so they did, most all are happy with how it went.
Israel’s the opposite — THE GOVERNMENT WORKS HARD TO KEEP PEOPLE SEGREGATED. They control land development permits and the like in order to do it.
Palestinians can walk around with a fear of Israeli abuse and assaults, too.
Have you actually MET the Ultra-Orthodox members of our tribe? They’re pretty. fucking. crazy.
And they don’t play around.
They control entire sections of Jerusalem with Taliban-style ‘modesty squads’, and they dish out their sick brand of justice with fists and rocks whenever they get the chance.
The average Israeli Arab is more likely to be attacked by the average Israeli Jew for the color of his skin than vice versa.
Seriously. People like you make me embarrassed for our people. Before you pipe up, try VISITING THE ACTUAL FUCKING COUNTRY AND WITNESSING THE PROBLEMS FIRSTHAND.
Posted by Joe | June 22, 2009, 9:39 amLet's see if I understand this. The United States is the home of the American people. France is the home of the French people, China is the home of the Chinese people, and so on. Israel is the home of the Jewish people. Why is that apartheid? Jews have lived in Palestine for thousands of years, but the definition of Palestinian does not include Jews — because throughout history, Jews are always considered Jews by their neighbors — they are never fully Iranians, or Iraqis, or Palestinians. Since 1948, Palestinians, encouraged by the entire Arab world, took on refugee status as a permanent condition — not because of Israel, but because of the corruption of their own leaders, their raging hatred of Jews and their dream of driving the Jews out of Israel. Of all the refugees created by all the wars, only the Palestinians have maintained refugee status for 60 years. All the refugees from World War II re-settled and rebuilt their lives. For most, there was no right of return. And the 600,000 Jews who were expelled from Arab countries after the founding ot Israel also found new homes in Israel, the U.S. and other countries. I doubt that I can knock on the door of my grandparents' home in the Sudetenland and ask for it back. I have been to Israel and witnessed first-hand a country that struggles, as our democracy does, to meet the expectations of a diverse population. Before I would waste my time railing against Israel for its supposed human rights abuses, I would look at how women are treated in Saudi Arabia, how children are sold into sexual slavery in India, how child laborers weave rugs in Tibet and how the people of Darfur are being systematically exterminated by the Sudanese. Taking couscous off the shelves at Trader Joe's seems at best a tad irrelevant –even silly– in view of the more egregious abuses occurring in the world.
Posted by Kathy | June 22, 2009, 4:35 pmBarak Allah feek, ya akhi Joe. There will be a Hero's Wall in Jerusalem when zionism meets its inevitable demise as did the threat of comunism, fascism, and nazism, and I will demand that your name be placed upon that wall for the entire world to witness. Please Google Dan Almagor's 1983 poem titled "We Shoot Children, Too" . He is an Israeli professor of Hebrew literature and he is famous throughout Occupied Palestine as a lyricist and TV show host. He was commissioned by the Israeli government to write many of its military songs. It is a very telling and foreboding poem and I urge all readers here to read it.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:30 pmWhy the hell are people arguing to boycott Israeli products? Most of their arguments (I'm looking at your Yowza) are based on tired Arab narratives which even British and Turkish land records refute openly, but are ignored by Leftists and whiney, racist Arabs. Rather – the best solution is to promote Palestinian products too. I did see Olive Oil from a Pal cooperative at Whole Foods, which is great because it promotes an economy and sustainability. Add politics and religion, and everyone suffers, which is why Yowza promotes hate and boycotts rather than interaction and cooperation. Last I checked, the only export from Pal territories were terrorism techniques, terrorists (involved in almost every altercation involving Arab terrorists), and items promoting their convoluted narrative. This must change – despite the Arab's belief that a better lifestyle and peace will destroy their drive to destroy Israel and all ME Jews.
Posted by William | June 22, 2009, 7:03 pm"Tired Arab narratives" – ROFL! That's pretty funny considering that you are, yourself, using tired hasbara garbage.
Posted by thedissenter | March 14, 2011, 6:54 pmReply to Kathy: Lady, Have you been reading the same "Zionist Handbook oj How to Lie and Deceive"?
Your entire commentary is way off base. I addressed some of the already here so no need for me to waste my time responding to your diatribe. Really, you just have to pack a suitcase, land in Tel Aviv and take a taxi directly to the nearest Arab village. Just smile and announce that you are a Jew from wherever and tell them that you are there to hear their side of the story. I assure you that like Joe (above) and many thousands like him your entire perspective will change. I was at a huge ant-israel rally in San Francosco a few years ago and I carried a huge sign with a six-pointed star next to a swastika with the words "DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE?" A blond-haired, blue-eyed woman saw it and told me that she was very personally offended (a popular zionist expression) and my reply was that if she was Jewish then SHE ought to be carrying that sign.
Posted by Yowza | June 22, 2009, 7:52 pmJoe, I've been on both sides too. And there is no question, despite the 'discrimination' that Israel imposes to try to keep the majority of the population Jewish (and they do not conceal this fact), I'd much rather be in Israel today than in Gaza or West Bank. Now maybe tomorrow I'd rather be in Gaza/WB if the PA could just get its act together, but that's not happening soon. I tend to agree with the Israeli position that if Israel became a unified country of Israel/Palestine, there would be no Israel. And yes I have met UltraOrthodox Jews. A nasty bunch. Politically very powerful. Stay out of Meah Shearim. But if I didn't bother them, they didn't bother me. And there is a lot more to Israel than the UltraOrthodox. As far as discrimination — of course it is real. (I'm not sure it's racism, since any non-Jew has a tough time buying land, don't they?) Just like in US. Only no organized lynchings. And the standard of living is much higher for Arabs in Israel than lets say in Jordan. (Didn't I already say that?) Are you boycotting Jordanian products?
Posted by Rob | June 22, 2009, 10:37 pmI shop at Trader Joe's all the time, but before the lame attempt at a boycott, I didn't even know that Trader Joe's had Israeli products. Now I'll make sure to buy them!
Posted by Natalie | June 23, 2009, 1:12 pmAgh, meant to write ‘citizens of France’. It’s 2AM here in Beijing. Sleep now.
Posted by Joe | June 23, 2009, 11:56 amActually, the Pro-Israel forces turned this into a "Buy Israel food " drive- and it completely backfired- trader Joes all over the country reported selling out of couscous, israeli feta and Israeli herbs. The backlash was tremendous- there must be 10 pages of bloggers writing about it.
If this action is repeated, the best best thing for the Israeli economy will prove to be teh boycott.
Posted by fatima | June 24, 2009, 1:31 amLet's boycott Palestinian products at Trader Joe. But, that won't work, since they don't produce anything .The Trader Joe manager's should have called the police, when they took merchandise off the shelves and did not buy it. A restocking fee would prevent any further disturbances by these boycotters
Posted by Menachem Strauss | August 6, 2009, 2:52 pmYeah right. Stop buying at Trader Joes…That will bring Israel to its knees. Anyone out there besides wacked out junior college students think this will work? Bigger thing for Muslims to worry about is a general boycott of Muslim health care professionals in the US. Stop your whining about Israel…you people are killing each other in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, West Bank, Israel, etc, etc, etc, at a far greater rate than any government including the US and Israel. If Israel never existed, Muslims will still be killing Muslims. Where do you people learn this stuff? Oh yeah, still waiting for a fatwa condemning the Fort Hood attack, but not holding my breath.
Posted by JacobPK | November 9, 2009, 7:27 pmThe store should have had them arrested on the spot for tampering with a store product.
Absolutely !
I would never support a cause whose members feel they have the right to go and destroy someone elses wares in order to express their selfish ideals.
Posted by Rob | March 11, 2010, 4:22 pmI specifically look for Israeli products to purchase in any store since quality is second to none and Israel has brought so much positive to the world and continues to do so.
Posted by Lou | March 10, 2011, 6:52 amBased on the hatred and the trolling from the Chosen People(tm), I surmise that this was a real sore point and successful. Had it not been that way, they wouldn't have bothered to mount such an vicious attack. The best part is that they had to pay all these trolls. ROFL! Cleaning up Israel's bloody hands does not come cheap indeed
Posted by thedissenter | March 14, 2011, 6:56 pmIsraeli products are tainted with Palestinian blood. Israel constantly tries every means possible to gain acceptance from the world community, especially the USA the largest supporter. But with all their schemes and swindling ways the American public is gaining insight on their lies and insidious campaigns and the truth will prevail, and Americans will really hate the Jewish community in playing part of misleading Americans. American Jews need to clean their hands of the Israeli conspiracies and atrocities against the Arab people, and show their loyalty for America and American products, not Israeli blood-tainted products. Peace.
Posted by Mario Marwan | April 3, 2011, 5:54 pmBoycott muslime clothing. don't buy bedsheets.
Posted by durkadurka mohammed | February 4, 2012, 4:09 amThis thread is far enough down now that I don’t plan on writing a lengthy reply because it’ll disappear off into the ether before long, but as far as this last point:
“”And the standard of living is much higher for Arabs in Israel than lets say in Jordan. (Didn’t I already say that?) Are you boycotting Jordanian products?”"
One: My standards are a lot higher for Israel, because it’s ostensibly a liberal constitutional democracy (Though they’re working on fucking that up rather nicely). I think it’s right that the countries of the Free World (not just ‘the west’) are held to a higher standard. If they weren’t, my position as a Jew in America would be far less secure. There’s nothing better for liberal constitutional democracies than when people raise a fuss and force them to live up to higher ideals.
(Jordan is actually the perfect case to pick, since Jordan’s got serious problems with favoritism for the Hashemites.)
Martin Luther King, Jr. was far better off in Jim Crow’s America than he would have been in Africa. That doesn’t mean he should have done a damn thing differently.
As for the boycott: I’m not boycotting anything, because I think boycotts are a stupid idea in general and useless both for affecting policy and expressing ideas in the public square.
Your defense of Israel’s policies is even more lame than the boycott attempt, though.
Posted by Joe | June 23, 2009, 11:44 am“”Let’s see if I understand this. The United States is the home of the American people. France is the home of the French people, China is the home of the Chinese people, and so on. Israel is the home of the Jewish people. Why is that apartheid? “”
Uh… ‘American’ isn’t an ethnicity. And up until the Immigration Act of 1965 abolished country-of-origin quotas that had been used to maintain America’s “ethnic balance”, America *was* racist in that regard.
Also, the term ‘apartheid’ is really fucking pointless, so let’s toss it straight out. Let’s go with ‘racist’. It’s nice and descriptive and avoids a pointless digression into South African history.
Whom do you mean by ‘the French people’? If you mean ‘citizens of French’, that’s merely a truism. If you mean ‘French citizens who aren’t black or brown’, well, that’d be you being racist again.
As far as China being the home of ‘the Chinese people’, way to expose your ignorance regarding one of the most important countries on earth. There’s no such thing as ‘the Chinese people’. There are the *Han people*, which make up the bulk of China’s population, but they’re one of the 56 peoples of China recognized by the government.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalities_of_China#Officially_recognised_ethnic_groups_in_China
A COUNTRY’S PEOPLEHOOD IS LEGITIMATE IF IT IS BOUND BY COMMON PRINCIPLES AND A RECOGNITION OF SHARED DESTINY, NOT YOUR BLOOD-AND-SOIL NATIONALIST BULLSHIT.
(This is, incidentally, one more reason why America is, for all its faults, the greatest country on earth.)
Posted by Joe | June 23, 2009, 11:55 am