Campaign to buy Israeli goods is launched

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — A pro-Israel group has launched an online campaign to buy Israeli goods.

StandWithUs announced the Buy Israeli Goods campaign to counter the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for boycotting and divesting from companies that do business with Israel and sanctioning Israel for actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

“This is a movement to counter BDS with positive energy,” said StandWithUs executive director Roz Rothstein.

In its online flyer, the group lists six reasons to oppose boycotts against Israel. Boycotting Israel hurts the peace process by encouraging hard-liners and “does nothing to help the Palestinians improve their lives,” the flyer states, adding that shoppers should buy both Israeli and Palestinian products as “an investment in peaceful coexistence.”

StandWithUs has released an online button promoting the campaign for supporters to post to their Facebook walls. The campaign website, which will be live in about a month, will include a list of products made in Israel that are available in North America. Supporters are asked to speak with local merchants and request that they carry the listed products.