Saturday 14 November 2009

British trade unions launch boycott campaign against Israeli products


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[ 14/11/2009 - 09:50 AM ]

LONDON, (PIC)-- The British federation of trade unions announced the initiation of a campaign to boycott the Israeli products manufactured in settlements in the West Bank, which were built on occupied Palestinian lands in violation of the international law.

British trade unionist Tony Woodley said that Israel must be pressured to stop violating the international law.

For his part, Derek Simpson, the Joint secretary-general of the UK's biggest private-sector trade union, Unite, stated that the "awakening" happened after the Israeli war on Gaza, which he described as the straw that broke the camel's back, adding that the killing of more than 1,300 Palestinians necessitated such a move.

This boycott move is similar to other steps taken by European countries and institutions in protest at the Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian lands, where in less than one month, Sweden and Norwegian institutions had withdrawn their investments from Israeli companies because of their involvement in building the apartheid wall and settlements.

Sue Blackwell, a British professor at the university of Birmingham, had launched the first academic boycott campaign against Israel years ago in Britain.

A delegation from the Israeli university of Ariel was also barred from participating in an international competition in Spain a month ago when the Spanish ministry of housing rejected its participation because the university was built on Palestinian lands.

Earlier last month, the US investment fund decided, after tens of shareholders submitted a petition, to withdraw its investments from the Africa-Israel company because of its participation in settlement activities in the West Bank.

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