Because the whole point is to have some impact on the Israelis, specifically those who profit from lands stolen in the last 40 years. Taking money out of the pockets of people on the ground has to have a political effect and it seems about as much as can be done by any individual.
I'd imagine most people who have thought about this are already unlikely to buy American products if it can be avoided.
It's also a practical matter. It means more to focus on those actively committing the crimes than for their enablers. And it's probably easier to affect Israel than it is to affect the U.S.. (Or is it?) *shrug*
I guess it depends on how receptive the administration is to being swayed by public opinion. To use a folksy figure of speech, Dubya couldn't give two shits that there were widespread protests to the Iraq invasion. He was "the decider" and that was that.
If the world got as active against Obama, he might actually change directions. But he seems to have charted a pretty comfortable course down the middle, so I doubt he'll have to worry about protests anytime soon.
That slimy bastard Kohr is something else. To suggest that there's some grand plan to attack Israel, instead of just accepting that the antipathy it is held in by so many is purely and only because of Israel's actions is just digusting.
Britain revokes arms licences for Israeli navy guns Exports of spare parts halted in response to Gaza Strip attacks in December-January Ian Black, Middle East Editor
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 13 July 2009
Britain has revoked export licences for weapons on Israeli navy missile boats because of their use during the offensive against the Gaza Strip. The licences apparently covered spare parts for guns on the Sa'ar 4.5 ships, which reportedly fired missiles and artillery shells into the Palestinian coastal territory during the three-week war, which started in late December.
Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, shrugged off what he called one of "many embargoes". The foreign office in London insisted the rare move did not constitute an embargo but was the application of normal UK and EU export licensing criteria. Still, it linked the decision directly to Operation Cast Lead – the Israeli codename for the attacks – and described it as similar to action taken against Russia and Georgia after their conflict last year.
A spokesman for Amnesty International, citing the "weight of evidence" that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza, said: "It's a step forward but it doesn't go nearly far enough." Israel's defence ministry made no comment but Lieberman told state radio: "We've had many embargoes in the past. This shouldn't bother us." Israel gets the bulk of its military requirements from the US, more than 95% according to some estimates. The UK accounts for less than 1% or about £30m worth of exports a year.
The decision came after a review of UK defence exports to Israel announced in April by David Miliband, the foreign secretary. Israel's London embassy ascribed the revocation of the licences to pressure from MPs and human rights organisations, the Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
Israeli officials confirmed the UK had reviewed 182 export licences, including 35 for exports to the navy. It decided to cancel five, all relating to spare parts for Sa'ar weapons. The arms involved include anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles, cannons and heavy machine guns.
Israel launched its Gaza attack after the expiry of a ceasefire put in place to halt the firing of missiles into Israel, and as part of a strategy to weaken the Islamist movement Hamas. More than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
Ha'aretz said the British decision was not expected to have any impact on the navy's operational capability. But it added: "It has great political significance and could encourage other countries to halt defence exports to Israel. The country considered most likely to be next is Belgium, which sells Israel equipment used to disperse demonstrations."
Amnesty had previously highlighted Britain's role in supplying engines for Hermes drone aircraft. In another report this month, it detailed how Israeli forces killed hundreds of unarmed Palestinian civilians and destroyed thousands of homes in attacks that breached the laws of war.
"Amnesty has uncovered evidence of war crimes committed by both sides in the conflict," it said. "We are calling on all countries to suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions, to Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups until there is no longer a substantial risk that it will be used for serious violations of human rights.
"We will also be monitoring closely to ensure that the UK does not renege on its promises. In the past we have seen a tightening of restrictions against Israel in the wake of a major offensive, only for them to be loosened again once the issue falls out of the public eye."
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"We've had many embargoes in the past. This shouldn't bother us."
That just proves how bastardly they are. If the whole world is saying you're wrong and you keep doing what you're doing then you're either insane or arrogant beyond belief - or a mixture of the two. Either way, fuck em.
Modern, it looks like you'll have to copy/paste the article because the embedded page appears as "Access denied". Opening in a new tab/window worked fine, though.
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