Democratic Palestine : 29 (ص 17)
غرض
- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 29 (ص 17)
- المحتوى
-
processing and textile factories have
suffered a 10-25% decline in sales due
to the uprising. In Jerusalem alone, in
March, there was a 97% decline in the
sale of dresses and shoes. Israeli
Economy Minister Gad Yacobi has said
that the Israeli losses in trade with the
occupied territories, due to the upris-
ing, were $200 million in the first three
months of the uprising. This figure can
be compared to the value of last year’s
Israeli exports to the West Bank and
Gaza Strip, which totalled $1.5 billion
(Associated Press, March 24th). The
Israeli agricultural products export
company suffered losses amounting to
$600,000 from the beginning of the
uprising until early March.
The manager of Shnova dairy com-
pany in Tel Aviv, Menachem Reintes,
has stated that their sales decreased by
15% in Nablus and Tulkarem, and by
5% in Qalqilia. Mel’oot food company
in the Western Galilee is suffering huge
losses due to the trade boycott by West
Bank and Gaza merchants, estimated at
thousands of shekels monthly. The
Meloram Company is unable to dispose
of half of its production and is looking
into laying off 20% of its employees,
which would affect Jewish employees
too. The United Textile Company has
decided to stop production at its Peta
Tikva branch because of the Palestinian
workers’ strikes. The decline in the tex-
tile sector is estimated at 30% and some
agents are taking the distinctly Israeli
labels off clothing so that it can be sold
in the occupied territories. A study by
the Israeli industrialists’ federation
showed that 51% of Israeli factories
have reduced their production by 20%
due to the Palestinian boycott.
3. MILITARY
EXPENDITURES
Israeli military expenditures have
increased vastly since the beginning of
the uprising. Currently there are more
than 3,000 Israeli policemen, 2,000
border guards and 110,000 soldiers in
the occupied territories. ‘Israel’ has
moreover had the expense of building
six new detention centers in occupied
Palestine, in addition to transforming
more than twenty schools in the oc-
cupied territories into detentio: centers
and army barracks. The Defense
Ministry has stated that the military
budget was 30 million shekels short
because of the uprising. According to
Yediot Aharanot, equipment needed by
each soldier for dispersing
demonstrators costs $552. Israeli
Minister of Economy Yacobi stated
that the cost of extra security by police
and security forces was $60 million
(Associated Press, March 24th). As
early as late February, estimates ap-
peared in the international press that
the Zionist state had so far used $330
million in its attempt to put down the
Palestinian uprising.
4. INTERNATIONAL
PRESSURE
Overseas trade is an essential factor
in the Israeli economy because of the
Arab boycott, except for Egypt, of
Israeli products. Thus far, Israeli acts
of terror aimed at quelling the Palesti-
nian uprising have drawn international
condemnation as was expressed in UN
resolutions 605,607 and 608. This in-
ternational outcry has to some extent
been reflected in economic pressure
that we hope will increase to stop the
Israeli crimes against humanity.
The European Economic Community
decided to delay approval of a contract
that would enable ‘Israel’ to trade $3
billion worth of goods in these coun-
tries annually. In Denmark, consumers
boycotted Israeli agricultural products.
In late February, the biggest Danish
supermarket chain decided to stop 1m-
porting Israeli fruits and vegetables
after sale of these products dropped by
30%. A spokesperson for Irma super-
markets said, «Danes simply don’t
want to buy Israeli goods under present
circumstances» (International Herald
Tribune, March Ist).
MORE ISRAELI LOSSES
In addition to calling on the Palesti-
nian masses to boycott Israeli goods
and work in Israeli enterprises as much
as possible, the United National
Leadership of the Uprising has called
for refusal to pay taxes. A member of
the Knesset from the Citizens Rights
Movement estimated the losses incurred
by the Israeli treasury as follows: 20
million shekels in tax deductions from
the -wages of Palestinian workers
boycotting their jobs, 40 million in
direct taxes, and 9 million in value ad-
ded tax. On May 2nd, Israeli radio
reported a decline in taxes collected
from import and export duties in the
month of April.
Tourism is also beginning to be af-
fected by the uprising. The attendence
at Easter festivities in Jerusalem was
only half that of last year, as reported
on Israeli radio April 3rd. In April,
there was a 35% drop in tourism as
compared with April 1987 (Radio
Israel, May 6th).
The popular uprising in the occupied
territories has planted the seeds of
economic confrontation with ‘Israel’. It
has created new subjective factors in
the Palestinian population to sustain
the continuation of the struggle to enact
total civil disobedience, which heralds
more economic repercussions for the
Zionist state. Among the subjective
factors created by the uprising are:
First, the uprising has mobilized all the
masses under the banner of fighting the
occupation; workers, students, mer-
chants, peasants and civil employees
have been united in a unique deter-
mination to end the occupation and its
exploitation of the Palestinian land and
people. Second, the uprising has
motivated an increase in local produc-
tion in the occupied territories, which
will enable the Palestinian population
under occupation to be more self-
reliant. Call no.9 emphasized the need
for operating local factories at full
capacity and hiring Palestinians who
are boycotting their jobs in ‘Israel’.
Third, the uprising has urged the peo-
ple to abstain from buying Israeli goods
whenever possible and to turn to locally
produced substitutes. The people have
also been urged to reduce their con-
sumption to essentials, so as to con-
tinue the boycott of Israeli products.
Fourth, the uprising has created a
stronger sense of economic ooperation
among the people. For example, mer-
chants have abstained from raising
prices, despite the economic pressure
they experience, so as not to increase
the burden on the people. Landlords
have not demanded rent from their
tenants since the beginning of the
uprising. Fifth, the uprising has
motivated the population at large to
cultivate their land and plant
vegetables, etc., to achieve self-
sufficiency.
As the uprising enters its sixth
month, the ongoing struggle attests to
the maturity of the United National
Leadership and the popular commit-
tees. While the continuation of the
uprising signals added economic
damage to the Israeli economy, it is at
the same time in the process of building
the basis for an independent Palestinian
state, through the campaign for civil
disobedience and economic self-
sufficiency. @
17 - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 29
- تاريخ
- يونيو ١٩٨٨
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
Contribute
Not viewed