Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Elder of ZiyonAn investigation by the Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon has exposed that Israeli-made products are being widely used in the beauty and cosmetics sector in Lebanon.It goes on like this for another 30 paragraphs or so, in exacting detail of every Israeli company and their aliases.
Therapeutic and cosmetic laser surgery is now an integral part of a booming medical tourism industry in Lebanon. Medical and beauty centers are sought after by locals and patients from the Arabian peninsula.
But unknown to most of these patients, the Lebanese market hosts a wide variety of medical equipment originating in Israel. These banned products make their way into the Lebanese market disguised as imports from the US, Europe, and Dubai. They are marketed through distributors who have no problem getting front seats at specialized conferences organized by the Lebanese health ministry.
The issue is under investigation and scrutiny by the Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon, which found that the Lebanese market has been invaded by four such Israeli companies.
Boycott campaign activist Samah Idriss told Al-Akhbar that they had been working on the case for a long time, but did not want to slander distributors of Israeli products. Instead, he had met with them to warn them about the identity of these companies which tend to conceal their primary source or that they originate in Israel.
Idriss indicated that the campaign expects that the ministries of economy and health will seriously tackle the issue. They need to conduct a comprehensive survey to discover the amount and types of Israeli products in the cosmetic medicine sector in Lebanon, and confiscate them immediately.
The most famous of these companies is Syneron. Its products are available on the Lebanese market, as confirmed by its sole agent, Medica, located in Jal el-Dib with headquarters in Dubai.
Medica enjoys remarkable promotion for its Israeli products on many Lebanese stations, including MTV (Murr TV) and Sawt al-Mada radio station. The two outlets responded to a letter sent by the boycott campaign and vowed to stop broadcasting ads from the agents of such products.
Syneron was established by Shimon Eckhouse, a physicist who later specialized in medical technology. Its main headquarters are in the Yokneam Illit industrial zone in occupied Palestine, south of Haifa. It is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
How outrageous to think that Lebanese women are beautifying themselves with Israeli products! Better they be ugly!
I'm really waiting for when these hypocritical groups - which are little more than small Facebook groups - will finally decide to boycott Microsoft, Intel, Apple and Google, and put themselves out of business.
Notice also that Al Akhbar, a liberal Arab newspaper, refers to Israel as "occupied Palestine."
The paper also has a very funny story that claims that Israel is siphoning off water from the Nile in South Sudan - without a single piece of evidence. (Israel signed a water infrastructure agreement with South Sudan last week. )
(h/t tall midget)
UPDATE: Commenter Zvi notes:
Key point: these are not simply cosmetics products. While the author of the article focused on cosmetic laser technology from Israel - no doubt because attacking high-value, life-saving Israeli technologies would risk alienating even their readers - Israeli medical products and technology includes many unique, world-class products at practical prices. Israel is one of a very small number of world leaders in the med-tech arena.
You should emphasize that these are MEDICAL products. As the article says, "the Lebanese market hosts a wide variety of medical equipment originating in Israel." The fact that some of this equipment, including laser equipment, is used for cosmetic purposes is a relatively minor detail.
In other words, Al-Akhbar and the campaign to boycott Israel are attempting to keep out of Lebanon MEDICAL PRODUCTS that benefit Lebanese people.
Furthermore, the article claims that Lebanese medical and cosmetic medicine practices are sought out by Arabs from other countries, calling medical tourism a "booming industry" in Lebanon. Lebanon's widespread use of the best technology available is evidently something that attracts foreigners to Lebanon, where they inject money into the local economy and provide jobs for Lebanese people, even during a bitter global recession. Lebanese doctors can evidently provide a better standard of care than doctors in wealthier, more conservative Arab states, in part because of their readiness to use the best modern equipment available.
Any sane person, organization or country would seek to make sure that Lebanese medical personnel have at their disposal the very best medical equipment available. No matter where the equipment comes from originally, the best medical equipment translates into better medical care for Lebanese people and cash flowing into Lebanon's economy from abroad. Both of these are distinct wins for Lebanese people and for Lebanon, and Lebanon should pursue its own best interests.
Al-Akhbar and the Lebanese boycott-Israel crowd, however, believe that asinine anti-Israel gestures are more important than the lives, health and comfort of ordinary Lebanese people, the effectiveness of Lebanese doctors or Lebanon's reputation for having a relatively modern and skilled medical establishment. For the boycotters, Lebanon's ONLY interest is to make pointless anti-Israel gestures.
