British trade union federation launches campaign against Israeli products from West Bank

12 April 2010

The British umbrella body of trade unions, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has launched a campaign calling for an import ban for goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The campaign was launched together with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, an anti-Israel group that advocates a complete economic boycott of Israel and international sanctions against the Jewish state, according to the ‘Jerusalem Post’.

The campaign, entitled ‘Would you buy stolen goods?’, says that some Israeli produce comes from “stolen land”. It also alleges that Israel deploys child labor, and it accuses Israel of preventing the export of “nearly all” Palestinian goods, confiscating scarce water resources and using them to irrigate settlement produce for export to the UK.

“Israeli settlements are built on stolen Palestinian land and are illegal under international law,” TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, adding: “By confiscating land and resources, and encouraging conflict, they make life a misery for ordinary Palestinian workers and their families… [As] consumers we can make a difference by not supporting the businesses that sustain these settlements.”

Barber said the TUC campaign was not a call for a complete boycott of Israel. “This is not a call for a general boycott of Israeli goods and services, which would hit ordinary Palestinian and Israeli workers. Nor should workers in Britain put their own jobs at risk by refusing to deal with goods from the settlements. Instead, we are calling for targeted, consumer-led sanctions to send a clear message against the settlements.”

The TUC is the umbrella body for 58 trade unions in Britain and represents a total of 6.5 million affiliated members.
 

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Christoph Steinbrink, about 1 year ago

The international community wants Israel to respect international law and human rights. The Zionist movement has led Israel into international popular isolation: We protest against illegal land-grabbing and ethnic cleansing, against dehumanizing a whole people and denying it the right of self-determination. Our vision is that of a democratic State of all its citizens without distinction of race and religion living in peace with a neighbouring people having continuously lived in Palestine for centuries. The biggest lesson of the Shoa is: stand up for international law and human rights. And this holds true for all human beings - Jews included. Because of their traumatical experience under German fascism, I hold Jews for predestined to help mankind with this noble task! Renounce the ideology of a "chosen people" that stands outside the rest of the world claiming to have a biblical right to occupy a foreign land. This is simply absurd. My opinion: boycott Israel goods (not only those from the occupied territories) as long as Israel denies honest peace talks with the Palestinians. This is by no means anti-judaism. christoph

Tom Patton, about 1 year ago

This is about Justice and Compassion and has nothing to do with antisemitism.

Ludovico Fenech, about 1 year ago

I opine it's correct and good this campaign!

Rafaela, about 1 year ago

Are the Israeli settlements built on stolen land? Yes, they are. Is Israel violating the international law? Yes, it is. Is Israel disrespecting human rights? Yes, it is. Is Israel implementing apartheid policies? Yes, it is. Does Israel illegally imprison people from the occupied territories, icluding children? Yes, it does. Did the Israeli army committ war crimes? Yes, it did. Is Israel committing crimes against humanity? Yes, it is. Is there any reason not to boycott Israel? No, there isn´t.

Elizabeth Molchany, about 1 year ago

Israel never stopped occupying Gaza, blockaded their imports and exports, destroyed the airport and the Jewish-only housing, leaving 43 acres of rubble, denied them the right to fish in their own waters, and breached the June 19th truce with Hamas, entering and killing Palestinians - and made no complaint about rockets, because there were none until Israel breached for the third time. Hamas complied even while Israel was responsible for the deaths of an average of 49 Palestinians per month. Hamas had ended its rocket attacks and suicide bombings in 2005. Its first rocket launch was on November 5, 2008, after Israel entered Gaza, killing 6 Palestinians.

iris habib, about 1 year ago

It is time to expose the crimes of the zionist entity!Anyone who helps in buying the settlements goods is considered to be participating in the illegal occupation of Palestine..

Jeff Prager, about 1 year ago

Britain and British Professors aside, the only civil humanitarian response to the country of Israel and it's national and foreign policies is to boycott their products, as difficult as that might be. Israel is doing the very same thing to the Palestinians in Gaza that the Nazi's did to the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto and it's shameful.

Geoff Smith, about 1 year ago

This is excellent news! About time someone spoke up about the settler crimes and immorality.

The Herbmeister, about 1 year ago

This is absolutely hilarious. Great Britain used to colonize the world. And now, a handful of religious extremists have their spines, their souls and control their very thoughts. It won’t be long and Buckingham Palace will be torn down to make room for a new mosque.

ISAAC A. KOT, about 1 year ago

It doesn't surprise me based on the history of the British Professors Union. However, if they want to Boycott Israeli products they should throw away their cell phones and lap top computers to name a few. Also, many medical innovations were developed in Israel. As the technology boom is occurring, much of it comes frm Israel.

Even water purification and agricultural innovations have been developed in Israel.

I think if the Anti-semites want to ban Israeli and Jewish Company made products, they should be all encompassing. Give back and give up all the technological, medical and scientific products that involve Israeli genius and ingenuity.

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