You Say You Want to Boycott Israeli Businesses? Okay, Start by Giving Up These Modern Amenities…

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You Say You Want to Boycott Israeli Businesses?

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Okay, Start by Giving Up These Modern Amenities…

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Yup, again this morning…another article in another newspaper about another country, university or group of protesters. Another ad. BOYCOTT ISRAEL! Shun her academic institutions. Halt military relations. And yes, most importantly, boycott Israeli business!

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My first reaction? It’s not easy being Israeli.

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My second reaction? Okay honcho…you really want to boycott Israeli products? You really want to use a method of protest that historically has effectively brought segments of the business and corporate worlds to its knees?

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I’m not going to engage in a political debate with you. I’m not attacking your views. You don’t know where I stand on the issue and let’s leave it that way. I abhor bloodshed and suffering on all sides and in all places. I do respect your right to feel as you do. But the boycott? Well why don’t you start with these?

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 1) Pentium chip and microprocessor technology was developed in Israel. Windows, Windows XP and Windows Vista were developed at Intel Israel. Almost all Pentium-4 chips are produced in Israel.

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So, I expect to hear the audible sound of millions of boycotters logging off of their computers simultaneously and finding other computers and operating systems.

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 2) Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Boycotter, the cell phone was originally designed and developed by Israeli scientists employed by Motorola Israel. Almost all modern cell phones still have that patented little device at their core.

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Next time you place a call to one of your fellow boycotters, I fully expect that it will be done with your land-line telephone!

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 3) The technology for Instant Messaging was developed in Israel by four young programmers working for Mirabilis; the company and patent were subsequently purchased by AOL. Again, want to get in touch with your boycotting comrades? No IM! That would be cheating!

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 4) Why boycotters…it’s the Pill-Cam developed by Given Imaging of Israel. Presented with the prestigious Wall Street Journal award for technological innovation. Finally, an end to traditional and uncomfortable methods of examining the digestive tract for disorders and disease. Just swallow the pill and images are automatically recorded.

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But, oh, I forgot…you’re insistent on boycotting Israeli products. So next time you need an endoscopy, looks like it will be that long tube in your…

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 5) Israeli scientists invented the first and most widely-used no-radiation diagnostic instruments to screen for breast cancer. More accurate than ever…and none of the danger.

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Miss boycotter, I hate to make light about such a serious issue as breast cancer, but next time you are going to be screened, I fully expect you will tell the technician to use the old, radioactive-emitting model.

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 6) The Indian Ocean tsunami. The earthquakes in Haiti and Turkey. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan. And many others. The IDF and Israeli doctors are the first to set up field-hospitals and to begin carrying out life-saving operations. The IDF also routinely carries out search-and-rescue too. Would a boycott mean that if there is a disaster in your country, you would prefer if they stayed home? Well too bad on this one; when disaster strikes, Israel will respond.

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But wait, there’s more: Don’t forget the plethora of Israeli companies listed on NASDAQ, 75 of them, second only to the U.S. in number. Hi-tech companies? Israel has the largest concentration in the world. Airline security? Much of the equipment used around the world was developed in Israel. There’s Baby-Sense, a baby-monitoring device used worldwide to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Yup, developed in Israel. Vacciguard, the first anti-cancer vaccine prototype. The most widely used drugs to treat Multiple Sclerosis. Own irrigation and solar-power equipment? Chances are good it was developed in Israel. Have an Uzi or Desert Eagle? Throw them out. Is your country going to buy the Arrow anti-missile system the world’s first operational system to shoot down ballistic missiles? Tell your government you don’t want it. It’s just a partial list of things you would need to boycott.

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Still want to boycott Israel and Israeli Business?

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Be my guest!

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But don’t pick the things you want to boycott… 

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…and keep using the things you like or need!

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That’s not a boycott, it’s hypocrisy.

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1) This article is not meant to be political. It is meant to examine the meaning of a business boycott in general and the "Boycott Israel" trend in particular..

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2) The writer of this article recognizes the seriousness of breast cancer and diseases and disorders of the digestive tract. The examples were used to make a point, not to in any way offend those who have suffered through serious illness.

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Yonatan Maisel is a professional writer, author and business blogger. He lives in Jerusalem.