One year of Gaza war and impact of Pakistani ‘boycott’ on Israeli products
There is a story about a fire and a sparrow. A fire had broken out, and a little sparrow wanted to help. She flew to a pond, filled her beak with a single drop of water, and returned. Flying as close as she dared, she released the drop onto the flames. Then she went back for another, repeating the process again and again. The fire was not affected. A crow, perched nearby, observing her efforts, asked, “Why are you bothering with a single drop of water when you know it will make no difference?” The sparrow answered, “To satisfy my conscience”. Pakistan’s boycott movement in solidarity with Palestine is similar to the sparrow’s efforts. It has no bearing whatsoever on Israel’s actions in Palestine or elsewhere. But the people boycotting Israeli products are being motivated by their conscience, regardless of the negligible economic impact.