Yesha Council: Did Someone Say "Boycott"?

In the aftermath of John Kerry's threat of an economic boycott - if Israel does not surrender Judea & Samaria - and Scarlett Johanson's effective principled support of Sodastream, the international media suddenly became extremely interested in the more than 200 factories operating in more than a dozen industrial zones and employing more than 11,000 PA Arabs and 6,000 Israeli's throughout Judea & Samaria.

New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief interviewing
a Palestinian worker at a factory in Samaria, Israel

The YESHA Council hosted numerous tours of many of these businesses to major media, including the New York Times (and a second NYT article), CNN , as well as international outlets (Spanish, Dutch, German and Russian), etc.

YESHA Council chief foreign envoy, Dani Dayan conducting an
interview with CNN from Psagot, Israel

The reporters got a chance to view first-hand one of the true laboratories of co-existence which has been in existence for years, but has largely been overlooked by the mainstream media. While much of what they saw did not make it into their final articles, the visits represented unique opportunities for the YESHA Council to continue the education process for the international media.

Lipski Plastics' Yehuda Cohen displayed his 'peace products' for JN1. His company facilitates a work environment that treats all employees equally, and is committed to making the industrial zones prosper as the best roadmap towards peace. He explained how the threat of a boycott has compelled his company to innovate and create new product lines that has led to his company's revenues to increase.

Yakov Berg being interviewed by
Spanish media at the Psagot Winery

Yakov Berg of the Psagot Winery shared how his wines continue to win international taste tests and the demand for quality wine will continue to supersede the fringe element that is calling for boycotts. As opposed to other products, the wine industry highlights the region where the grapes are from, so Psagot's business demands that the threat of a boycott is directly addressed. Yet despite this, Psagot and the other boutique wineries in the region are finding that they do not have the capacity to meet the demand for the quality wine from Judea & Samaria. When asked about the climate within Europe for Psagot wine, Berg reminded the reporter, "It was not easy for Jews to sell products in Europe 1,000 years ago, 500, years ago, 200 years ago, or even 70 years ago. Name me a time when it was easy for Jews to sell products in Europe?"

A Jordan Valley farmer being interviewed by
Spanish media

Farmers in the Jordan Valley were similarly forthcoming. One farmer remarked that a UK customer of his explained that international organizations are pressuring him to purchase spices elsewhere, "but when we run out of thyme, we will certainly purchase from you. This is not a real boycott, but marketing to their Arab customers throughout Europe."