Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has committed himself to opposing any boycott of Israeli goods if peace talks with Palestinians fail. “Britain opposes boycotts,” Cameron said in a speech to the Knesset, Israel's legislature. “Whether it is trade unions campaigning for the exclusion of Israelis or universities trying to stifle academic exchange, Israel’s place as a homeland for the Jewish people will never rest on hollow resolutions passed by amateur politicians.”
In his speech, the Conservative Party leader, who heads a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, also expressed the warmth of his feelings toward the country and said among his ancestors had been Jews. Cameron said his great-great-grandfather had been Jewish and another ancestor had written the first Yiddish novel.
Israeli officials have voiced concern that pressure within the European Union to punish Israel for settling lands that Palestinians seek for a state may grow if peace talks fail. One EU initiative calls for labeling products produced in Israel’s West Bank settlements, which would make it easier to target them for consumer boycotts.
The UK prime minister also attacked Iran for “despicable” attempts to smuggle rockets into Gaza. He said it was “ridiculous” that Israel has to listen to “outrageous lectures” at the United Nations from Iran and North Korea. “You have a British prime minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock solid,” Cameron said. “I understand the concern of Israelis who have seen land that Israel has pulled out of becoming a base for terrorist attacks.And I will always stand up for the right of Israel to defend its citizens.”
