Tel-Chai Nation

The AP/Vancouver Sun says that there's a controversy over selling Israeli products like the Israeli Fox clothes manufacturer's items in Ramallah, because of its being a Jewish product:

It's not often that model Bar Refaeli gets a cold reception.

But when a black-and-white poster of the smiling Israeli beauty went up last week in the West Bank city of Ramallah, it became a target of Palestinian anger because of the message that accompanied her picture: "Fox: Coming Soon."

Fox is a popular Israeli clothing chain, and the opening of an officially branded store in Ramallah seemed to cross an unspoken red line. It's a reminder of the schizophrenic economic life in the Palestinian territories. Though the region is flooded with Israeli goods, the brands can both be respected for their quality and resented for their symbolism.

The advertisement launched a social media firestorm, with one person even suggesting firebombing a store that sells trendy clothes and jeans. Hosts on the normally deferential Voice of Palestine radio station even made heated comments on about the potential opening.

On Monday, the sign was gone. Neighbors said they have not seen the owner at the store in several days, suggesting he might be keeping a low profile because of the controversy.

In a region of symbols, the image of the 28-year-old Refaeli also carries its own hang-ups. The model has appeared in public relations campaigns by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and frequently talks up her Israeli identity in the media, matters not lost on Palestinian social media critics.

Yet despite the uproar, Fox is already a popular brand in the Palestinian territories. Store owners stock Fox products even in Hamas-controlled Gaza, where the government is far more hostile to Israel.

"People in Gaza know that these items are made in Israel, but they buy them because they're good quality," said shopkeeper Raji Isaac, who has offered Fox products in his Gaza City store for the past four years. "Customers always look for good products and reasonable prices, and Fox is offering that."

So clearly, they not only aren't boycotting Israeli products, they know they can't, because their Religion of Peace prevents them from being able to establish a full-fledged industry to profit from. Abandon that monstrosity, along with the lie of a "palestinian people", and they'll be much better off.

Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel