My Shopping motto: Buy British; Recycle and Boycott Israel!
I consider myself an ethical shopper. I'm an avid recycler, to the point where my daughter, (who bless her, wore washable nappies), thinks going to the recycling centre is a day out to see the big digger! I try and buy British or at least Fairtrade products wherever possible and most importantly, I refuse to buy products that are produced by unethical regimes that impose apartheid policies upon their own citizens (non-Jewish) and those they brutally occupy, talking about boycotting Israeli products in case you hadn't guessed!

Are You Supporting Palestinian Oppression?
I'll admit, I never used to care or be interested in where my produce originated from until about 8 years ago when I merrily bought dates during Ramadhan to open my fast and my flatmate who was very on-the-ball about boycotting Israeli products advised me with disgust that the dates were a product of Israel!! She refused to eat any and I remember the guilt of opening my fast with goods that were feeding the economy of a brutal regime that enjoyed breaking the bones of youths and killing young and old alike, in the interests of 'protecting their security'.

The realisation grew that if I really wanted to be an ethical shopper I should ensure, that wherever possible, my money would not be used to help produce the ammunition that kills children. Or help purchase the bulldozers that spitefully root up over a million well-established olive trees, to deny the Palestinians an income. Or demolish homes, leaving families grieving for loved ones buried alive and resigned to living on the streets in front of a pile of rubble they once called home.

Check the Label!
Ever since buying those wretched dates, I now check the labels of the food I purchase. Whilst some organisations advise to boycott all supermarkets near-enough for selling Israeli products, I personally prefer the more pragmatic approach of Friends of Al Aqsa whereby they advise to write to the supermarket to register your disapproval of them stocking Israeli products etc.

Cheap and Nasty - A Hazard to Palestinian Life
I do virtually all my shopping at Asda, given in my opinion, they are the least supportive of Israel and totally boycott Sainsburys and Marks & Spencer, as they are ardent supporters of Israel. Okay so far I've not really been writing to Asda because I can live without their Israeli produced radishes and avocadoes. However, when this week I discovered that my Norfolk white potatoes (yes the cheapest bag at £1.12!) and the baked potatoes (55p) have been replaced by imported Israeli ones I was disgusted and so angry!! Why? Where do I start?!!

1) Top has to be my repulsion at Asda's endorsement of Israeli human rights violations by its increased economic support for Israel. Whilst Israel is blocking Palestinians from the outside world and thereby ensuring total destruction of their economy, Israel is happily enjoying increased support for its economy on a huge scale.
2) Why should I have to pay more to obtain the ethically produced British pototoes, a basic commodity;
2) Where is the support for British farmers?
3) What about the impact on the environment for importing these potatoes from Israel?
4) Many of the products made in Israel are actually produced by the illegal settlers on occupied Palestinian land and illegally passed off as being produced in Israel, in breach of International law. British potatoes state the county and name of the farmer who produced them, the same comfort is not afforded to foreign produce.
5) I doubted with the Israeli potatoes, whether Asda had gone to the effort to verify the name of the farmer and his location to confirm whether the potatoes had actually complied with International law and been produced in Israel.

Israel Actively Destroying the Palestinian Economy
In recent months with the full-scale blockade of Gaza, the Palestinian economy is in utter ruin as they are unable to move their goods out of Gaza and thus their fruit and veg etc are rotting and their livelihoods destroyed. I recall on St Valentine's day this year that Palestinian farmers set fire to 10,000 flowers in protest as they had lovingly grown them but Israel prevented them from getting them to the outside world. For the many tales of Jewish concentration camps we hear of, the Palestinians live in conditions, which I would argue are much worse. Whilst Hitler tried to annihilate the Jewish people, some of the descendants of the survivors have created concentration like conditions and economic hardship to annihilate another race, which has borne them no harm. However, the fate of the Palestinians is worse because most Western governments are complicit in their oppression, bending over backwards to increase their support and endorsement for each brutal Israeli regime.

Whilst decent people of all faiths far outnumber the Zionists, we lack unity and are predominantly passive onlookers. Convincing ourselves there is nothing we can do. Indeed our blessed Prophet Mohammad (SAW) predicted that "There will be a time when your religion will be like a hot piece of coal in the palm of your hand; you will not be able to hold it".
"Would this mean there would be very few Muslims?" someone asked.
"No," replied the Prophet, "They will be large in numbers, more than ever before, but powerless like the foam on the ocean waves."

Olive Trees Uprooted to Expand/Build Settlements
Returning to the impact on the environment, ethical issues and why it is morally right to boycot Israel. The Olive tree is the most mentioned tree in the Qur'an. The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature state that "Thousands of acres of Palestinian agricultural land have been razed over the years by Israeli bulldozers, families displaced and vital routes disconnected in the West Bank and Gaza strip as Israeli occupation authorities continue to build/expand Jewish settlements and bypass roads. Nearly 1,390,000 trees were uprooted in the years 2001-2005, most of them were olive trees. Israel’s building of the Apartheid Wall in the occupied West bank in recent years has swallowed/destroyed more Palestinian agricultural lands." Their mission is to replant one million trees in various locations, including olive, fruit and palm trees. One people is hell-bent on destruction, whilst another is trying to cultivate the land and earn an honest living, who would you rather support?

What Can You Do?
Powerless are the Palestinians, but we have consumer power, don't under-estimate YOUR buying-power!! Please use it to defend and speak up for them. Let's unite for Palestine. Write to Asda today and demand the return of affordably, ethical and environmentally friendlier British spuds!
Telephone: 0500 100055
Fax: 0113 241 7732
Minicom: 0800 0683003
Email on: See following link: http://www.asda.co.uk/corp/customer_service/contact_us.html

Write to Asda at Customer Services,
ASDA House,
Southbank,
Great Wilson Street,
Leeds,
LS11 5AD

For more information on Boycotting Israel, see the following links:
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html
www.aqsa.org.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/jul/15/comment.stevenrose

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