Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Can't we just get along?

" O you who believe, do not take certain Jews and Christians as allies; these are allies of one another.."

(Surah 5:51)

US law bars firms from cooperating with attempts by Arab governments to boycott Israel.

Dubai Ports World is entirely owned by the Government of Dubai via a holding company called the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCZC), which consists of the Dubai Port Authority, the Dubai Customs Department and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Area. Muhammad Rashid a-Din, a staff member of the Dubai Customs Department's Office for the Boycott of Israel, told the Jerusalem Post today :

"Yes, of course the boycott is still in place and is still enforced, if a product contained even some components that were made in Israel, and you wanted to import it to Dubai, it would be a problem "

I note that the FAQs section of the website for Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone Area, which is also part of the PCZC, advises importers that they will need to comply with the terms of the boycott.

There is however a possibility that the business of Dubai is business and that business may trump officially held positions. Asked in an interview last week with “CNN” reporter Wolf Blitzer whether Dubai Ports World was doing business with Israel while the UAE refused to recognize Israel, Ted Bilkey, CEO of DPW replied:

“One of our very sound customers is Zim line. It’s the largest shipping company. And the president of that company is very close to our company and supports us, because we have good relations with all of our clients. We handle their operations in a number of ports throughout the world because it’s good commercial business for us. They wouldn’t come to us unless we did a good job.”

Bilkey assured Blitzer that the Emir was aware of it. Indeed today’s issue of the Jerusalem Post claims that the entire boycott is reduced to just “lip service.”

One of the reasons given for Bush’s support of the deal was that it would help bring Dubai into the 21st century, make that country more cooperative with the West. In outward appearance, Dubai appears to be further into the century than the US or anyone else, but is it possible that there is an unstated bargain under which that country will begin to accept Israel as a legitimate entity?

Saudi Arabia joined the WTO last September with the proviso that it drop the boycott, something that appears not yet to have happened. Rob Portman, the U.S. trade representative, said in congressional testimony last week:

“We have raised it with the Saudis, and they tell us they will follow through on their WTO obligations.” Whether that obligation by a nation that has a far worse record than does Dubai regarding tolerance of other religions, will be carried out in full remains to be seen. It is a serious crime to proselytize in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, but money is a persuasive teacher and the meaning of “certain” is open to interpretation.


2 comments:

d nova said...

gr8 post.

see, these guys, if they jus did everything out in the open, all this stuff would come out in a public inquiry n not make bush admin look bad.

why r they so hung up on doing it bhind our back?

Anonymous said...

Shocking! You forgot something.