WHAT DO ABU MAZEN AND JOHN KENNEDY HAVE IN COMMON?
Both ordered boycotts after they stocked up on soon to be contraband goods; in JFK's case, Cuban cigars; in Abu Mazen's case, probably a personal stockpile of Bamba and Tnuva yogurts.
I seriously doubt the PA's boycott of Israeli food products will have a major impact on the Israeli manufacturers - on as is increasingly the case, the companies' Chinese owners.
In my not-at-all-humble opinion, I think Israel should help the PA by preventing ALL Israeli products from entering the PA's domain.
A sampling of the things the PA will learn to do without:
Electricity; it hasn't paid its bill in so long, the over due is counted in years, not months.
Cell phones with Israeli-developed components.
Medications, surgical tools, and medical procedures developed by Israelis or manufactured by Israeli firms such as Teva.
Coca-Cola from Israeli plants. The PA can, of course, import Coke from the Gaza plant.
Computers; most have Israeli-made chips inside.
Natural gas (when it finally becomes available). Gaza has a shoreline; let it make deals with exploration companies to look for gas off the Gaza coast.
ALL Israeli food products; products grown or packaged in Israel.
Education; no more PA students at any Israeli school, university, or graduate facility; no more PA doctors doing residency and internships at Israeli hospitals.
Force any Palestinian who has shekels to convert the Israeli currency into Jordanian dinars; they should be pleased not to have to handle Zionist money.
AT THE SAME TIME, halt entry of Palestinians into Israel to do anything more than go directly to/from the airport at Lod.
No access to Israeli medical care, not even for Abu Mazen's mother. There are hospitals in many Muslim countries as well as in Europe; it is not as if the only hospitals that will accept a PA patient are in Israel. (The Palestinians in Gaza can easily get medical care in Egypt.
To be fair, I think Israel should build a road from Ramallah to the Jordan border and close it off to Israelis - all Israelis, not just Jews. The road will be a toll road with tolls sufficient to maintain it. Israel will have to absorb the construction costs.
Water must be provided by mutual accord - unless the PA should violate any other accords - the Oslo Agreement comes to mind.
Perhaps Abu Mazen never heard the phrase: Be careful what you wish for.
If he wants to boycott Israeli products, let the boycott be for ALL Israeli products.
