ABU DHABI Ñ A national boycott against U.S. products is growing in Saudi Arabia and spreading to other Gulf states.
Saudi activists said members of the royal family have pledged their
support for the boycott in protest of Washington's support for
Israel. The government in Riyad has not expressed an official position.
Activists said the boycott has resulted in a sharp drop in purchases of
U.S. imports as well as sales in restaurant chains that stem from the United
States, Middle East Newsline reported. The Saudi government Al Watan daily said the boycott has so far led
to a drop of sales of up to 30 percent.
The boycott campaign has spread through messages on cellular phones and
E-mails.
Clerics in mosques throughout the kingdom have also urged
congregants to boycott U.S. products.
"With each dollar you pay you kill a Palestinian," one Saudi message
said in reference to Israel's use of U.S.-made weaponry in the war against
the Palestinians.
The boycott began last month during the Israeli military offensive in the
West Bank. Young Saudis have been employed to pass out flyers outside malls
urging shoppers not buy U.S. products. The flyers contained a list of U.S.
products being sold in the kingdom.
The Saudi boycott has spread to other Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Journalists from the United Arab Emirates have launched a boycott of U.S.
goods and services. The journalists plan to hold a conference on Monday in
Abu Dhabi to discuss the issue.