It is a matter of shame that a notable writer has dismissed the call for the boycott of American products by Saudis as a "joke." Could it be that he is not aware of the Zionist strategies to punish anyone who harm their interests? Doesn’t he have anything to say about the 1,000 Jewish readers of Los Angeles Times who decided to stop subscription to that newspaper protesting the newspaper’s coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict? Is he also unaware of the call made by the rabbis not to boycott the Chicago Tribune on the same charge? It was also reported recently that the pro-Israeli groups attacked the Star Tribune in North Minnesota because the newspaper did not describe the Palestinian bombers as terrorists. Why should the writer deprive the Arabs and Muslims of their right to express their concern about their Palestinian brothers groaning under the harshest occupation in history? He doesn’t find anything wrong with the boycott calls by the Los Angeles’ Jewish community, Chicago rabbis and Minnesota’s pro-Israeli groups because certain newspapers are not overenthusiastic in supporting the brutalities of the Israeli Army.
Instead of questioning the Arab people’s willingness to protest the violation of human rights in occupied territories, the writer should have highlighted the sacrifices of dedicated people such as Prince Amr Al-Faisal who canceled his partnership with an American company protesting the US support to the Israeli barbarities in the Palestinian territories.
An economic boycott by the people against an oppressor and his supporters, undoubtedly, is an effective weapon. The history of freedom struggles in various parts of the world shows that several people, not excluding the Americans, used the boycott as a legitimate weapon in their battle against colonial powers. Why does he deny the same right to Arab and Muslim people?
However, the boycott should be used in a rational and careful manner to achieve the desired goals. Careless handling may cause the weapon to backfire and damage our best interests. It should be implemented without damaging our interests and without being unjust to other people. The boycott should, primarily, be an expression of our sympathy toward the Palestinians on the one hand and our disapproval of and anger at the oppressor and his unashamed supporters on the other.
Before embarking on the strategy of boycott, we should define who should we aim at and how to apply it. It should be applied at different levels. Israeli companies should come on top. The Arab companies that import Israeli goods under various pretexts also deserve to be punished.
American and Western companies supporting the Zionist enemy should be the second on the list. Our actions should be based on solid evidence that they support Israel. We should be on our guard against being misled by companies spreading rumors or false charges against their rivals. The American companies without Israeli collaboration should come next. Products of these companies can be exempted from the boycott only if substitutes are not available. This is to minimize the difficulties caused by the boycott.
American companies with Saudi investments or with links with Saudi companies employing large numbers of Saudis should be excluded from the proposed plan. Inclusion of such companies in the boycott will adversely affect the economic interests of our country, Saudi investors and employees.
However, the investors and employees should convey to their American counterparts their anger at the American actions. They should demand the American partners convey their message of strong disapproval both to the American administration and people.
