Two Can Play at that Game: Israelis Boycott Turkish Goods
Ahhh boycotts. Israel is used to them. If it’s not a call for an academic boycott coming out of England, the U.S., or even internally, then it’s an organized cultural boycott or a ban on Israeli films or products.
In recent weeks, as happens each year, a number of performing artists planning to give concerts in the country this summer — Elvis Costello, Santana, and the Pixies among them — canceled suddenly. Pressure due to the political climate in the wake , their PR people say. Following the Gaza flotilla incident, organizers of Madrid’s gay pride parade banned Israeli participants.
Israel is used to being the neighborhood pariah. Another boycott? Okay. What else you got?
False bravado and cavalier “I don’t care anyway” attitudes mask hurt. Being the perennial outcast – deservedly or not — is no fun.
So the opportunity to turn it around and boycott someone else for a change is almost refreshing. It delivers that “I’m getting mine back” feeling that maybe Israelis need as headlines hurl condemnation after condemnation and pending investigations hover in the background.
Specifically, on the heels of the flotilla incident, several of Israel’s major supermarket chains decided it’s time to boycott Turkish goods.
A spokesperson for a chain store said, in heeding popular public demand, the parent company intends to stop working with Turkish suppliers exporting flour and pasta to Israel. While the boycott comes as a reaction to the recent events, Israel-Turkey relations have been simmering for months.
I’d say hitting them where it hurts (i.e. the wallet) is always a good strategy.
Keep it up, Israel.
It will make a dent. I know many Israelis who regularly traveled to Turkey for vacation and spent good money there.
Glad to see Israel is not sitting by just taking it on the cheeks as usual.
This probably hurts Turkey more than any boycott of Israeli goods by Turkey does to Israel. Too bad stupidity is one of man kinds most prominent cerebral characteristics.
A retaliatory Israeli boycott is sound policy. Besides, how much taffy does one nation need?
Yeah, and I’m switching to duck, for Thanksgiving.
In Israel we call that bird “Hodu,” which means India. So I guess we’ll pass on the food boycott.
That was funny
Duck ? Bleah !
” But after Cast Lead, the timbre changed.”
No, that implies that Israel somehow caused it. In fact Erdogan is an Islamist who has been rushing Turkey into the radical fold as fast as he can, destroying secular Kemalism and successfully castrating the Army, its Constitutionally-authorized guarantor. Erdogan has been an open ally of Iran, of Syria and of Libya ever since his army purges- so why blame Israel for his open support of Hamas?
Well put.
Thanks
NOT only are we boycotting their goods, but EVERY travel agent in Israel is taking Turkey off their agendas, as are union reps who plan vacation destinations, they have CANCELED Turkey off their lists. Our supermarkets in particular have quite a few Turkish goods-NO more.We ain’t gonna take it lying down again.
Better late than never that we apply the same standards as our haters.May the boycotts towards enemy states be fruitful and multiply!!
Bilateral trade amounts to less than 5% of either Israel or Turkey’s exports. Israelis interested in showing their displeasure should focus as well on big ticket items like household appliances, many of which are made in Turkey. (It’s not like there aren’t alternative suppliers.)
But if Israel is serious, it should stop listening to defense industry executives who want to continue selling advanced military hardware to Turkey. Whatever they sell could either be used against them directly (Turkey is already threatening to provide military escorts to future flotillas), or made available to Turkey’s new best buddies, Syria or Iran.
Turkey recently put a crimp on talks for a water deal and gas pipeline project with Israel. Israel expressed disappointment, but the proper response was “no big deal”. Israel’s desalination projects are proceeding apace, and its new gas finds could meet all the country’s needs.
A trade break would ultimately be bad for both countries. Turkey serves as “pass through” for Israeli products then transshipped to Arab countries, for example. But if Turkey insists on treating Israel like crap, and aligning with Israel’s enemies, simple self-respect and self-interest will require Israel to respond.
Personally, I don’t know who would want to go to Turkey for a vacation. I would be like me, an American citizen, wanting to go to Saudi Arabia for a holiday. Not really that into it. Turkey, to me, never really screamed “Spring Break!” Where will people be going next for a vacation, Azerbaijan?
Anyway, I think a major card the Israelis have to play is not supplying the Turks with any more military technology. I also hear that the Greeks are honoring all of their military defense contracts. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the Turks hear that Israel has become the leading supplier of defense technology, arms, and military supplies to Greece. I’m beginning to like this.
Personally, I don’t know who would want to go to Turkey for a vacation. I would be like me, an American citizen, wanting to go to Saudi Arabia for a holiday. Not really that into it. Turkey, to me, never really screamed “Spring Break!” Where will people be going next for a vacation, Azerbaijan?
Malta, think Malta. It’s a beautiful island and it has lots to offer. Think about it.
Anyway, I think a major card the Israelis have to play is not supplying the Turks with any more military technology. I also hear that the Greeks are honoring all of their military defense contracts. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the Turks hear that Israel has become the leading supplier of defense technology, arms, and military equipment to Greece. I’m beginning to like this.
That’s what I thought when my sister told me she was doing a 2-week Contiki vacation in Turkey. Turkey? Are you crazy? Then I went….and returned and returned and returned. Fabulous country with very nice people. However, my last visit was in 2003 and I will never, ever return again.
How much money does the US GIVE to Turkey each year?
WHY do we continue to do that???
Would Turkey care enough to change her tune if we stopped?
Just sayin’…
You’re making the mistake of thinking the Obama administration would be willing to cut off Turkey in favor of Israel. And we’ve seen exactly how high Obama holds the US relationship with Israel over the last year and a half.
Sadly your suggestion would never happen.
~Peter
SSN-719
95-00/03-04
I don’t think they give much in direct aid, but the US pumps a lot of money into the Turkish economy because there’s a major US/NATO base there. Most of the US aid in that region goes to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Palestinians who get (surprise!) more money than does Israel.
A Turkish tourist guide told me that without tourism, the Turkish economy would be in deep doo-doo. Hebrew is heard on the streets of Istanbul. In the Grand Bazaar, the merchants would call out to us in Hebrew. Boycott Israeli tourism and hit the Turks where they live.
“I don’t know who would want to go to Turkey for a vacation.”
Under this current AKP Party regime I’d think twice, but I’ve been to Turkey many times and it’s a great vacation spot. Istanbul is a fascinating, energetic, modern city with lots of history and culture, and outside of Istanbul, take your pick — the ruins of Ephesus, Cappadocia, great Mediterranean get away spots like Kalkan and more. But with Erdogan driving Turkey down the same path Iran took, to the pain of all its people, well, not for me right now.
#9 libertship
Turkey is home to some spectacular Roman ruins, amazing sights… Constantinople, the capital of the eastern Romans, it’s where the Roman empire wound up in its latter stages, after of course the conquering armies of Mohammad had set out to overrun the west, cut them off from the east in terms of trade and literature and knowledge… “el andalus”, the Muslim title for “Spain”, was as far as they got, but it was far enough to have an incredible impact on the west for centuries.
Turkey is also affordable as a destination. It’s been a long term favorite of the Brits and the Israelis too, until the Erdogans of that world started sniffing around the power. The secular culture Ataturk recommended was good for awhile, but Jihad will not be denied. Turkey will backslide and become a second-rate Iran in no time.
Sadly, Iran also has some fabulous ruins, of the earlier Persian society, Xerxes et al. I don’t recommend you vacation there, either.
Turkey the new Iran. Islamic fundamentalists are taking over and dictating Turkish national policy and I don’t think it includes tourism. The Turkey we knew is long gone.
Two other things Israel can do that will drive Turkey crazy: Keep bringing up the Armenian genocide and start trying to get close to the Kurds. (Thanks to Noah Pollak on Commentary Contentions for the ideas.)
As far as I know, Turkey is putting lot of military forces in hers pccupied part of Cyprus… And I’d just really love to Israel finally free Cyprus:
I am truy inspired! Just as I was contemplating all the real and imagined Israeli responses to the Islamization of Turkey (and its retreat from Western ideals – goodbye, we hope, to their dreams of membership in the EU!), I was reminded of the Turks truculent refusal to admit any wrongdoing on their part vis-a-vis Armenia and the never-to-be-forgotten genocide of the Armenisns nearly 100 years ago. And then, I just happened to read the poster who reminded that Turkey is, at the very least, “sensitive” about the ongoing and universal condemnation of a genocide of which they deny they had any part of fomenting!
I think Israel – and her supporters around the world – have every right to (continue to) condemn Turkey for that blot on its modern history – and I like the idea of Israel “discovering” Cypress for recreation and other purposes!
Joy, #18…One does not have to go back 100 years for Turkish perfidy…In the 1990′s they ethnically cleansed over a million Kurds from their ancestral homes…bring that up in the UN and watch the big yawn…
I am pleased to see that boycotting other countries of whom you disagree with
their political action’s is a legitimate response.
Posters now can not claim that boycotting Israel is anti-semitic.
Americans are always calling for boycott’s .I am in the U.K, following the release of the Lockerbie bomber many wanted and did boycott Scotland.
Wanting to destroy small business’ especially those who made tartan.
We were supposed to be an allie.
http://www.boycottscotland.co.uk/
And then there was France, who dared to disagree with the U.S.
Freedom fries?! The problem with that was french in french fries
comes from the word frenched- a way to cut a potato, it has nothing to do with France.
Using the same logic people could boycott Turkey by not eating turkey.
It made as must sense as that.
Be nice if we quit giving free money to all who are our enemies. Just how many muslim nations are our friends, the Saudi’s, that a laugh, taking on one hand while conspiring to knife us in the back at the first chance.
Be nice if we quite being Mr sucker. Support our friends, such as Israel and put the muslim terrorist crowd on our non support list. If they want money, sell us something we can use. Other wise, take a hike.
I would also like to see the Israelis keep what ever territory they take in the next battle, no reason to return it, they have yet to start a war, they may get the first lick in, but the muslims were, as usual, begging for death and destruction. Gave them what they wanted, sounds fine to me, play in traffic, no whine when you end up munched.
There are some very nice secular people in Turkey who like Israelis. As usual, Islamists use the anti-Israel card (trumped-up “humanitarian” flotilla)to enflame the population and validate their grab of power. Many are distressed there about where the country has gone- into the Iranian camp. U.S. weakness in supporting Israel was a prime factor in this failed test. In a part of the world where perceived strength is primary,the U.S. restraint in Iraq and Afghanistan and its restraining Israel, is more and more dangerous. We waste the lives of our young men through these policies.