As a member of the Olympia Co-op, I am proud to be part of this means of speaking out against Israel's inhuman actions against Palestinians.
Israel's 26-foot high separation barrier was not built on internationally accepted borders, but cuts across Palestinian farmland, orchards, olive groves, and aquifers. These lands have been passed down through families for centuries along with the deeds. It encircles towns, villages and neighborhoods, and often separates a farmer from his land. Palestinians can't go to work, school, or church, because they must pass through a checkpoint, which could mean waiting in the hot sun for hours. Expectant mothers and/or newborn babies have died at checkpoints because they were not allowed to pass to the waiting ambulance bound for the hospital. Many heart attack victims have died under similar circumstances. This is collective punishment, which is illegal under international law.
Readers who have spoken out against the boycott may have never walked the streets of Gaza, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem, stepping over garbage in the streets. Although Palestinians pay taxes to Israel, garbage pick-up is not provided. Water resources are not equally divided. Israel takes 80 percent of the water for lawns and swimming pools in illegal settlements, while Palestinian farmers must make due with 20 percent. Raw sewage flows directly into the Mediterranean Sea, because materials to rebuild the treatment plant are not allowed to enter Gaza.
Thank you, Olympia Co-op, for taking a stand. Israel has ignored international law far too long.