The boycott movement is not a new one, as boycotts of all kinds have been used throughout history to lift injustice and express opinions. As the brutal Israeli war against the Palestinian people rages in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and as it enters its sixtieth day, local and international calls for using the boycott as a tool to pressure the occupying entity to stop its crimes, which amount to genocide and ethnic cleansing, have intensified.

“Economic boycott is an effective deterrent weapon in confronting the other and adapting their will, because of the economic damage it can inflict on them, and the political and social effects that this entails.” That was how former member of the Jordanian parliament and writer and political analyst, Dr. Dima Tahboub,  opened her speech during the seminar “Boycott campaigns in Jordan and support for the Palestinian struggle.” held by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, which comes within the framework of the Palestinian Cause program, and  within the first group of a series of seminars held successively to follow up on, record, and document the developments of the war in Palestine.

Tahboub pointed out the various forms of boycott, which are not limited to economic boycott, but rather extend to include academic, artistic, cultural, and social boycotts, although the economic aspect constitutes the largest pressure on governments around the world.

In this context, Tahboub praised the support of the peoples of the world for the Palestinian Cause, and the stand they took in solidarity with it, saying: “The awareness of the peoples and their accurate knowledge of events and fateful issues pushes them to take a strong stance, such as the economic boycott of international brands supporting the Zionist entity that is taking place now,” describing the ongoing boycott movement as influential.

Regarding the escalating war in Palestine, Tahboub stressed the need to raise global awareness about issues of concern to the Arab peoples, and that “we must build on what happened to  achieve a qualitative leap and sustain the boycott in all its forms, because of its impact on pressuring regional and global governments, especially those supporting the Zionist entity, to stop the bloodshed of our brothers in Palestine.”

Regarding the role of civil society organizations, Tahboub stressed the importance of their role as “All institutions and organizations must work intensively and institutionally through continuous awareness campaigns to support local products,” pointing out the importance of building a strong national economy due to its impact on supporting Jordan’s firm position on the Palestinian Cause.

From this standpoint, member of the Board of Directors of the Amman Chamber of Industry, Dr. Eyad Abu Haltam, announced the culmination of the efforts of the Amman Chamber of Industry in marketing Jordanian products by launching the “Urduni” website and mobile app, which provides the service of searching for Jordanian products by the manufacturer’s name or the name of the product in an easy and fast way.

Abu Haltam went on to explain the role of Jordanian economists at the national level during the current events, and the contribution of factory owners by providing alternatives to boycotted products with high quality and competitive prices. At the same time, he stressed the role of the Jordanian government in providing support for the development of scientific research and increasing spending on it, as well as cooperating with research centers and universities. He also pointed to the advanced level of the Zionist entity’s economy and its exports of “high-tech” products to all countries around the world, which is due to the entity’s interest in scientific research, as it is “one of the largest global spenders on scientific research,” according to him.

Furthermore, Dr. Abu Haltam urged citizens to follow awareness campaigns aimed at introducing local products, calling on local organizations to raise people’s awareness in this regard, given its great role in achieving the goals of the boycott. “We must not stop at the boycott campaigns in their current form, despite their importance, but rather develop a clear strategy to support local products that have a long history in the local market and have been exported to many markets around the world for years,” he said.

On the importance of support for the Palestinian people, Abu Haltam stressed “our duty to deepen economic and commercial activity in all its forms with Palestine and increase it in many fields, which is a form of economic support for them.”

In conclusion, the participants agreed on the need to support local products and the importance of sustaining the boycott, calling on the government to reduce the burden of operational costs on local manufacturers, which would enable them to provide local alternatives of higher quality. They also stressed the role of local organizations in raising awareness of the need to support the local economy and increase trade exchanges with our people in Palestine, in order to support their struggle.