KUWAIT: “Boycott not just for Palestine, but for your own safety, and your nation’s security,” urged Yousef Shamsah, a member of BDS Kuwait, in a message to all Arabs. “The Zionist entity seeks to dominate the entire region, directly or indirectly. Whether you realize it or not, it will eventually target you and your country too,” he said. Shamsah is one of several members of the local chapter of BDS, which stands for “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions.” Established in 2005, this global movement is a nonviolent, Palestinian-led initiative advocating for boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against the Zionist entity, and any brands that support it.

Those who refuse to participate in the boycott movement, Shamsah stated, are putting their countries at risk of facing the same consequences as their neighboring nations. He described those companies as “settlers and colonizers” just like Zionists, having contributed in various ways to “stealing lands, displacing people, and carrying out complete ethnic cleansing over the years.” The only distinction is that they operate outside the military institution. So, he asked everyone to check their moral compass, “how can your ethics allow you to deal with such a company?”

A more sustainable approach

Mishari Al-Ibrahim, a fellow member of the BDS movement, strongly advocates for individuals to boycott brands supporting the Zionist occupation. However, the organization primarily focuses their campaigns on divestment calls — a different form of boycott that targets organizations and governments, urging them to withdraw their investments from such companies.

“The divestment strategy is more sustainable and effective,” Ibrahim said. “I’d rather work to convince a company to divest from Company X than persuade 100 individuals to boycott it, because the financial impact of divestment is much greater. I fully support personal boycotts, but for better results, try to influence a purchasing manager to convince a corporation’s board of directors to end contracts with any entity that supports the occupation,” he added.

For the ones who don’t believe in the power of boycott, Shamsah said, “the impact of this peaceful form of protest, could never happen in a blink of an eye, it needs time.” That’s why, according to him, after the attack on Gaza which started on October 7, no tangible significant impact has yet been witnessed. Yet, one cannot undermine the clear signs showing that the impact of the boycotting doesn’t go in vain, as he referred to the recent termination of several CEOs in the food and beverage sector as their companies suffered from major losses post the boycott movement.

BDS calls were heard

The divestment movement in Kuwait, including BDS, had huge success in 2014 after years of campaigning and urging Kuwaiti businesses to divest from two companies supporting the Zionist entity. The Kuwaiti businesses, Shamsah highlighted, withdrew their investments from both. One of these companies, which specialized in water, energy, and waste recycling management services, lost a contract worth $2.5 billion from Kuwait alone in 2014, he said. “Kuwait was the final straw that broke this company’s back,” added Shamsah, noting that the company’s total losses reached $26 billion worldwide.

BDS believes in the power of focused, consistent efforts, targeting a selected few companies with deep ties to the crimes of the Zionist entity, rather than attempting to boycott all companies supporting the entity at once. Explaining the criteria BDS follows for promoting boycotts or divestment, Ibrahim noted that they prioritize a short list of brands based on “the extent of these companies’ contribution and influence in reinforcing the Zionist occupation, the amount of impact of withdrawing investments on the Zionist entity, and the feasibility of the brand’s boycott.” He added that BDS avoids calling for boycotts on products that have no viable alternatives and are heavily relied upon by consumers.

The domino effect

Shamsah commented on the purpose behind this strategy: “If I can focus my efforts on getting companies with the highest involvement with the Zionist entity to withdraw their investments, other companies that also have varying degrees of involvement, whether high or low, will reconsider withdrawing as well, leading to a domino effect.”

For that, Ibrahim referenced BDS’s previous efforts to amend Kuwait’s existing boycott law, advocating for government action to boycott not only brands with Zionist origins but also any companies that support the crimes of the Zionist entity. These crimes should not be overlooked, said Shamsah. “We are talking about brands responsible for spying on the population, assisting in the targeting and killing of some victims, and helping maintain security operations in prisons that perpetrate the worst forms of torture against human beings,” he added.

In response to the claims regarding the ethical implications of such boycotts or divestment calls on the local economy and labor, Ibrahim emphasized that the outcome could actually benefit Kuwait. He explained that if divestments or boycotts of international companies were implemented, they would eventually be replaced by local firms, allowing labor to transition to these new businesses as well. Furthermore, all profits would remain in Kuwait, with factories and raw materials sourced locally. “So, if you are genuinely concerned about your country’s local economy, you should be supporting the boycott campaigns,” he explained.

Local enterprises take over

On the other hand, Shamsah highlighted the number of local products that have gained recognition only after the boycott calls, products that can even compete with international standards. Yet, he questioned, “You’re worried about businessmen losing their investments and workers losing their jobs, while entire Palestinian families have their names wiped from the civil registry, thousands of children are living without their parents, and the post-traumatic mental impact yet goes unacknowledged?”

Ibrahim and Shamsah are concerned about the future of the boycott movement in the event of a ceasefire in Gaza. However, Shamsah reminds us of the primary purpose of the boycott: “The boycott should not end until Palestine is fully liberated, from the river to the sea.” The 7th of October served as a wake-up call for people to educate themselves about the Palestinian cause, and he believes now is the time for awareness to spread not only among individuals but also within institutions, organizations, and government. “If this happens, we might not need modifications in laws, because with a fully aware population, laws will be unnecessary,” he said.