VOA News | Sunday, March 3, 2024 
Namibia’s Call for Sanctions Against Israel Draws Mixed Responses

WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA — Reactions have been mixed on Namibia’s call last month for an international boycott of Israeli goods and companies in response to Israeli policies and practices in the Palestinian territories. If implemented, such a boycott could harm Namibia’s economy, as Israel is a key trading partner with the nation’s diamond mining industry. Diamonds are Namibia’s largest export earner, bringing in at least 10% of the country’s gross domestic product. Trade figures from 2022 show Namibia exported $59 million worth of goods annually to Israel, mostly diamonds. The same year, Namibia imported $3.8 million in goods from Israel, mainly diamond-polishing equipment. A Namibian businessman involved in the diamond trade, who did not want to use his name so that he could speak candidly about the industry, questioned the efficacy of such sanctions. “You have to … ask, ‘[Does] that business directly support or in any way affect the support of IDF or that regime in what they are currently doing?’” he said, referring to the Israeli Defense Forces. “I mean, where do you even start to find that type of connection.” – Read more