Calls to boycott Israeli products get louder as Gazans count human cost of war 

AMMAN — Calls to boycott Israeli products and products of international companies affiliated with Israel grew stronger in Jordan following an Israeli air raid on a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. 

“The boycott is currently our only weapon against the Israeli occupation,” wrote Facebook user Mahmoud, who shared a list of companies that announced their support for Israel. 

“Stop saying there’s nothing I can do and boycott the products of these companies,” added Mahmoud. 

“These companies support the Israeli occupation. The money you give them pays for bullets that kill our people in Palestine,” X user Fadi wrote, sharing a list similar to that of Mahmoud. 

“In light of United States’ unconditional support for Israel and its crimes against Gazan people, it has become our duty as Arabs and Muslims to boycott anything American,” X user Ahmad wrote. 

“You have blood on your hands if you buy products from companies that support Israel. There are plenty of local alternatives,” wrote Facebook user Leen. 

X user Abdallah wrote: “Supporting Israel means supporting terrorism and the genocide of our people in Gaza. Do what you can; raise awareness on social media, donate, boycott … Our loved ones in Palestine, forgive us for our helplessness”. 

Member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement in Jordan Hamzah Khader highlighted the importance of the boycott as a resistance tool that has long been used by people against “oppressing” and “unjust” regimes. 

The global Palestinian-led BDS movement “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law”, through boycotts, divestments and economic sanctions, according to its website. 

Khader told The Jordan Times that this movement has had many successes since its founding, which underscore the strength of this resistance method in standing against the Israeli occupation. 

The pressure of boycotts led by BDS has forced a large number of major International companies to withdraw their investments in Israel, he noted.

Khader also cited the findings of a 2015 study by the RAND Corporation, an American research organisation, which suggested that financial and trade sanctions associated with boycott, divestment, and sanctions could reduce the gross domestic product of Israel by 1 to 2 per cent. 

Activists took part in a march on Tuesday, demanding decision makers to immediately terminate the Jordan-Israel gas deal. One protester, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Jordan Times that any project with Israel is a tool to finance its war on Palestinians, and a “betrayal for the blood of all martyrs”. 

The BDS movement is currently facing clampdown in countries that support Israel, reaching the point of legal battles to “criminalise” it, according to Khader. 

The boycott calls in Jordan extended beyond products and businesses, with some social media users calling for “cancelling” Arab public figures who remained silent, failing to condemn the crimes committed by Israel against Gazan civilians. 

Several local media outlets in the Kingdom also announced on Wednesday that they’ll be “boycotting” news from the embassies of countries that have voiced their support for Israel in its war on Gaza.