Above photo: Black Friday sale signs are seen at a store in Chicago on November 26, 2024, ahead of the Black Friday shopping day. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images.
To protest against military aid to Israel.
Activists across the United States are urging a boycott of so-called “Black Friday” this year as a form of protest against the US government’s continued military and financial support for Israel, including a recent $680 million arms deal. According to Wafa news agency, the campaign seeks to pressure the government to end US complicity in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians.
By refraining from shopping on one of the biggest retail days of the year, activists aim to hit the profits of major corporations with political influence. The goal is to out pressure on these businesses to advocate for an immediate ceasefire and an end to arms shipments, and to push for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, particularly those suffering in the heavily impacted northern region of the enclave.
This call for action comes as the Biden administration is pushing ahead with a $680m arms package to Israel, a US official familiar with the plan said yesterday, even as a US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah has come into effect, reported Reuters.
The package, which was first reported by the Financial Times, includes thousands of joint direct attack munition kits (JDAM) and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
US President Joe Biden’s term in office ends in January. He has backed Israel for decades, and more so since the Hamas-led cross-border incursion in October last year. This has been followed by what the International Court of Justice has called a “plausible genocide” by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza. The occupation state has killed 45,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, and wounded 150,000 others. An estimated 11,000 people are missing, presumed dead, under the rubble of their homes and other civilian infrastructure destroyed by Israel.