Counterproductive: New labeling policy endangers Israeli livelihoods.
4 replies, posted
[quote]ARIEL, West Bank – A new labeling policy for products coming from Israeli settlements has some business owners worried about their livelihood.On the wall of his office, in one corner of his noisy factory floor, Yehuda Cohen looks at photographs from the last staff away day. He took his employees white-water rafting, on the River Jordan. There are smiling faces, eating and drinking, striking poses with life jackets and paddles.
“That’s Yossi,” says Cohen. “And that’s his good friend Ahmed who works next to him on the line. It’s wonderful here. We work together, and we enjoy ourselves together.”
Yehuda has a workforce of 90 people, which is split down the middle -- half Israeli, half Palestinian. The factory produces plastic bathroom accessories – everything from toilet seats to laundry baskets. Last year, he exported goods to Europe worth around $4 million. It’s a good business, but one that he now fears is under threat.[/quote]
Most interesting part:
[quote]“Labeling will send a message: ‘Don’t buy this product,’” Yehuda said. “It will lead to a boycott of my products. That will just do damage. It will destroy my company, destroy jobs and all of the hope that we have created here. The politicians in Europe think they are helping the peace process – well, they should come to my factory and see the reality. We are building peace from the bottom up.”[/quote]
I hope this particular business stays afloat at least.
[URL="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/28/19702137-counterproductive-israel-angry-at-labeling-of-settlement-products?lite"]
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/28/19702137-counterproductive-israel-angry-at-labeling-of-settlement-products?lite[/URL]
If they are worried that people will boycott their products because they'll know they're from the settlements, maybe they should think about why people hate the settlement policy.
Those poor poor Israelis
[QUOTE=Squarebob;41635803]Those poor poor Israelis[/QUOTE]
If you read the article, a lot of the people working in those factories are Palestinian as well.
Don't start up a company in illegally occupied territories then. Israel is engaging in an effort to push as many houses and enterprises into the West Bank so when the day comes when they have to leave (i.e. two-state Palestine/Israel), they can say "Sorry, it's too late there's too many people here"
If you're Jewish, you will get paid or at least get a heavy subsidy to live in the settlements at the West Bank for this purpose. It's your fault that your getting sanctioned by the EU, you knew the risks of living in stolen occupied land.
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