Gaza, September 18: Britain’s labor unions have voted to support a massive boycott movement on Israel in response to its December-January offensive in Gaza.
The boycott calls for a ban on goods from “illegal” Israeli settlements and an end to arms trading with Israel and disinvestment from some companies.
According to Union officials, the boycott would target products including dates, herbs, fruit and vegetables grown in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
“We will support a boycott of those goods and agricultural products that originate in illegal settlements through developing an effective, targeted consumer-led boycott campaign,” the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the TUC has condemned the blockade of Gaza and the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip at the end of last year.
According to the TUC, the motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year and reflects massive growth in support for Palestinian rights.
The move was, however, criticized by Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Ron Prosor.
“The TUC’s leaders should hang their heads in shame at this reckless call for a boycott,” Prosor said in a statement.
“They have betrayed their own constituency by allowing the TUC to be hijacked as a political tool for extremists,” he added.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor also showed reaction to the decision.
“Those who think they can promote peace and reconciliation through boycotting a democratic country will only harm the cause they pretend to serve,” Palmor said. “All this does is damage the credibility of those who launched the boycott.”
The Gaza offensive claimed the lives of about 1,400 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and 13 Israelis, including four civilians.
—–Agencies