So. At the time of writing -9.40 am Wed 27 May – it seems that talks between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens have hit a hump on the road: Fine Gael isn’t keen on the notion of boycotting Israeli goods.
In classic fashion, Leo and Co pass the blame parcel to someone else. According to Simon Coveney in today’s Irish Times, trade is made at EU level, not national level. In other words, we’re not allowed to boycott Israeli stuff, cos the EU won’t let us. Micheál Martin, in contrast, appears to be pushing for an EU-wide ban on dealing with Israel. Good luck with that, Micheál…
Senator Frances Black brought forward a bill in 2018 which got support from Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and just about everybody but Fine Gael, who blocked it. The US embassy, notably, has expressed its disapproval of all these anti-Israel moves. Again, predictable, given the amount of arms the US sells to Israel.
And of course the Israeli embassy has weighed in on the topic. They’ve described it as “the most extreme anti-Israel piece of legislation in the western world”. Which doesn’t say much for the organised objections of other countries.
Obviously it would be best if the government would make boycott of Israeli goods mandatory. If it doesn’t , all is not lost. We can do it ourselves.
Every time we’re confronted with Israeli goods in our supermarkets or shops, we could simply pass them by. Let them rot on the shelves. You’d be surprised how quickly that would soften the supermarkets’ cough. And who knows, maybe even Israel’s.
If you really think Palestinians are being held in the most ghastly out-door prison, then regardless of the Blueshirts, YOU can do something about it. If you’re not prepared to curb your retail passion, then don’t say you care a fiddler’s wind-break about Palestinians.
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