Critics of Israel Boycott Warn of Harm to U.S. Corporate Interests
▻https://theintercept.com/2016/03/18/critics-of-israel-boycott-warn-of-harm-to-u-s-corporate-interests
The effort to shield Israel from boycotts by citing not just the security relationship, but also the economic relationship, is similar to arguments made during the 1980s campaign for divestment in the apartheid regime of South Africa. In a 1981 interview with CBS’s Walter Cronkite, President Reagan explained that part of his opposition to tougher sanctions on South Africa was because it “strategically is essential to the free world in its production of minerals.”
Over 30 years later, these same arguments are being repeated.
“I think for a lot of different reasons that have been discussed, you know, human rights issues do come up in lots of different markets,” Kram said, in response to a question from The Intercept. “And frankly those are issues for political leaders to hammer out, in a foreign policy approach.”
“Do Palestinian human rights issues ever come up in how you determine whether to get involved in this?” The Intercept asked.
“No,” Kram concluded.
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