| Perspective: Product boycott should be up to the consumer, not the co-op |
| By Henry Werch, Port Townsend I want to begin by adamantly stating what I positively support. I would want our [Food] Co-op, a place in which we take great pride, to continue to be our community’s principle source for healthy food and supplements, and not be a place for bitter contention or sour feelings. Away from the co-op, in a separate venue, I would wish to see a community forum that would explore the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the international movement for “boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) against Israel. I am in favor of any educational effort that would help individuals decide how they can best support their values and beliefs in regard to this serious and longstanding international issue. I believe it would be valuable for all in the community to know how individuals and groups can best support the goal of peacefully changing specific reprehensible Israeli policies. My wife and I choose to make our views known through the positive support of organizations that work diligently within Israel to change such policies – The New Israel Fund, Rabbis for Human Rights, Play for Peace and others. It is regrettable that there is so little known in the U.S. about how much dissension there is within Israel itself about current practices, and how much is being done to change them by so many worthy organizations that are having measurable results. There are numerous contentious political issues and egregious actions that can be ascribed to the countries of origin for products sold at the co-op, with the U.S. perhaps leading the pack. If the co-op membership were to determine that product boycotts were appropriate for making political statements, and then in a non-discriminatory fashion select countries worthy of being boycotted, there would be few products left to sell on its shelves. I do not support the institutional boycott of any commercial product for political reasons exclusively, even if such reasons are cloaked in a mantel of humanitarianism. These kinds of boycotts can often hurt the very people that they are intended to benefit. I believe consumers should make that informed choice individually. Current country-of-origin labeling of products at the co-op is sufficient to allow such choices. To me, the proposed boycott also violates the co-op’s published policy: “B8.8 – Ensure that the store not be utilized for political purposes … ” If a majority of the co-op board were to vote to allow the co-op to change their policy and allow such political stances, such actions would only reflect the particular biases of individuals and factions within the co-op membership while disrespecting others. A targeted boycott sends a clear message that the co-op board is singling out a particular country and finding that it is uniquely worthy of attention separate from and above all others. If that happened, I would stop shopping at the co-op, but retain my co-op membership in order to support future board candidates who would oppose such a practice. http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=27549&TM=34850.44 |
The Global BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Movement wants to abolish the Jewish state of Israel - it descends on our communities, proposing that stores boycott all Israeli products. BDS leaders want to destroy Israel and vilify Jews in the process. They will leave us divided in their wake unless we organize!