Arab League urges world leaders to boycott OECD conference in Jerusalem
Call issued in light of continued Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank comes after Turkey, Britain and Spain said they would not attend.
By DPA Tags: Israel newsThe Arab League sent letters to world leaders on Sunday calling for a boycott of this week's international tourism conference in Jerusalem hosted by Israel.
Assistant Secretary General Mohamed Sobeih said the Arab League "urged all countries to boycott the conference" in light of continued Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.
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Arab foreign ministers and delegations attending a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on July 29, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
The Arab League's call for a boycott of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's conference, set to start Wednesday, comes after Turkey, Britain and Spain said they would not attend.
Arab states and the Palestinians have long eyed East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state and there was concern that participating in the conference would give recognition to Israel's claim of Jerusalem as its capital.
The call comes just two days after Israel issued 238 new housing units in East Jerusalem, which was described by Egypt and the Gulf leaders as a provocative step.
There were renewed worries that the move to build more Jewish homes in East Jerusalem would further jeopardize the uncertain resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, which were re-launched in Washington last month.
Israel, which has nearly 500,000 settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has been criticized by world leaders for its refusal to extend a 10-month moratorium on settlement building that expired September 26.
Since then, the Palestinians and their Arab supporters have been contemplating turning to the United Nations for recognition of their right to a Palestinian state.
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Peres has been told to stay away from morroco---the Director Leigh has declined an invitation to Israel. Catching up on Israel---eh guys.
Israel becomes gradualy the PARIA AMONG NATIONS. Thank you BIBI, you have realy made it and are sure to go into the international history and even perhaps into the book of rcords. POOR ISRAEL and what asad end to a beautifull dream
They won't get a seat at the UN? Oh yeah, let's just give seats to Arab states then.
Britain,Spain and more to come have to jump onto the bandwaggon they now realise that when we the Islamic states vote as a bloc in the UN or any other world orginisation they will find themselves in total isilation .
That's how it starts. A boycott here, a divestment there... soon Israel will be South Africa. Next step: reduce airflights to Israel. They will that in their pocket. They will reconsider everything.
Israel started the freeze 10 months ago, the pali's wait till the last minute too negotiate and then they want more of a freeze!!! What did they give, nothing!!! Fata and hamas dont even talk and their "brothers" cant get them too be friends.
Because of building a couple of hundred apartments. Who needed them? What for?
Sometimes people think that they are the only ones who matter in the world. When are we going to choose the right thing to do? We have disposessed these people as it is, enough is enough! We have become our worse nightmare. Boycott, Boycott, and Boycott again.
Boycott everything, everywhere that aids,comforts enriches the the primitive, tribal,Israeli government. No violence but no dealings with them, no trade or diplomatic exchanges until they treat the Palestinians as equal and free. End the murders and the occupation. You are in the wrong and have committed unforgivable crimes. For shame.
Just more reason Israel should NOT rely on third party promises guarantees
It seems like Sweden and about 10 other countries are following suit with Brittain, Spain and Turkey. I hope that also Norway will boycott the conference.
Instead of calling them "settlers", how about using the word "squatters"? Or "land pirates"? Obviously words like "settler" and "outpost" are intended to strike an adventurous chord among English-only speakers, but words like "maggot" ring truer.
Because according to the OECD's own membership criteria - open economy, pluralist democracy, and respect for human rights - it really should never have been admitted in the first place. Israel meets only the first, and now, the current Israeli government is making its lack of the other two criteria increasingly clear. Look for the OECD to drop Israel from its membership in the near future - and this conference may be what triggers it sooner than later.
Israel has already lost the support of much of the American public, including many Jews. For now the US Administration still sees Israel as avaluable asset in the Middle East, but eventually US administration will fall into line wtih public opinion, which views the Palestinians as desperate human beings deprived of their basic human rights instead of fanatical terrorists, and stop funding the Israeli opression of the Palestinians with military aid. History may well record this time as one of its great turning points where the Israeli Jews won a short-term victory but lost the long-term struggle for Israel's existence. As Peter O'Toole put it in "Masada" after the defenders repelled the initial Roman attack; "Enjoy your tiny victory!"
Let them stay home. And all their countrymen.
Your country is weak, your leaders are weaker. Rise up for now is the time. You have the international community there to assist you. Please act now.
You keep putting out inaccurate information. The only boycotters are turkey and sweden who just said they would boycott because of what the tourism minister said. Spain and UK aren't boycotting.
- participating in the conference would give recognition to Israel's claim of Jerusalem as its capital -
Islamic states regard Moslems in Europe as their outposts Erdogan has just been trying to butter up the Germans as it is becoming increasingly clear that Turk integration into Germany is not working. Many of them do not even bother to learn German.
who should sell arms or who shold talk to who about who and everyone should mind their own business. Grow psm.
Spain and Britain boycotting an OECD meeting is alarming. They aren't Bahrein and Yemen.Putting their nowadays trendy "Anti-Semitical Correctness" aside, the EU is quite angry at Israel, and hypocritical as they are, they are friendly nevertheless, or as friendly as you can get nowadays. Food for thought to Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas and Bayit Yehudi.
'...the Palestinians and their Arab supporters have been contemplating turning to the United Nations for recognition of their right to a Palestinian state...' The boundaries of the Palestinian state are laid out in the 1947 Partition declaration.
OHHHHHH. You mean the UN RESOLUTION that the Arab countries did not accept and consequently attacked Israel from all sides. And when that did not work they tried again in 1967.
Responded to the Partition by starting Not One, But FOUR Wars. They didn't accept the UN declarations or any compromise. This holds true until this very minute, So be it.
The Arabs had the chance to accept those boundaries, but rejected them. They therefore abrogated the agreement and thus forfeited those claims.
Israel has every right to promote tourist sites in occupied territories. Judea and Samaria correlate well witth maps showing dumb Europeans and Americans proof positive that the deed to Greater Israel was granted by an authority higher than Lieberman.s bribed cohorts. Any country attending the conference will affirm the legitimacy of a bed and breakfast in stolen land. Ethan Bronner now reports that the US accepts the legality of settlements in a NY Times article.
When a party starts four wars of annihilation, stolen cannot be used as an adjective. The Arab fools could have be in their State anytime in the past decades, They chose war and destruction instead. Too bad for them.
This is a petty response.
They just don't get it-Israel is the homeland of the Jews...a refuge from the uncertain countries where Jews once lived but found a hostile environment and were forced to leave. All of these efforts to delegitimize Israel as the homeland of the Jews further reinforces the notion that no nation can be trusted with Jewish survival..thus Israel is needed now more than ever.
"All of these efforts to delegitimize Israel " Israel is doing fine at delegitimizing itself.
It seems it is time to Isolate the stubborn and brainless " leadership" in this Israeli goverment.
Turkey is occupying Northern Cypruss and Kurdistan and have killed thousands of people in both places. Britain is occupying the Malvinas and Gibraltar. Britain has killed thousands in the invasions (more than once...) of Iraq and thousands of civilians in Northern Ireland. Britain is killing thousands now in Afghanistan, a far away country that never threatened to, never fired a single rocket on them. Spain is occupied Arab land, just ask Mr. Bin Laden about Al Andaluz. Spain is also occupying Arab Moroccon Perejil islands, Ceuta, Melilla and Tétuan.
Oh that's right - sorry, almost didn't see it - since these three countries are at fault on some issues unrelated to the Israeli occupation and violation of international law, such actions by these countries makes Israel's actions magically turn righteous at their core - occupation and violations of international law are all of a sudden turned into legally anexed territory and full compliance with Int'l law. What a moron am I - almost didn't see it. You're an inspiring genious Ricardo!!! can you sign me an autograph one of these days?
for the privilege of selling those medieval dictators weapons. Broke? Double that for Spain
is occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Get over it.
Israel was formed in response to oppression and mass murders commuted by Europeans, yet now Israel is crushing innocent human beings under their European bought tanks and trucks to the dismay of humanity. The state of Israels actions against the helpless and weakend people of Palestine is a disgusting display of the dog getting off the leash.
The 70's Arab oil embargo attempted to finish the job Hitler started. Abolish Israel if not murder all the Jews. Now they ask for a boycott. And Ahmadinejad escapes out the door of incandescent magic. Now he tricks you. Now he makes nice with a gun in hand. Nothing has changed for Arabs bent on world domination through violence and lies. Treacherous Arabs.
Considering the numerous international laws Israel has broken, the sheer number of warcrimes they committed, and crimes against Humanity, I'd hope anyone with a conscience would boycott Israel.
Arab world domination? That is the only thing i hadn't read in here...till now. Pinky and the brain style perhaps?
have the Israeli government decided to care, very much indeed apparently, about how their neighbours refer to the societal model in operation at this moment in time and going forward? What do you think? I’m just curious.
You learned not to care about those who love you too...
The boycott is a reaction to settlement that is Illegal under international law and the Geneva convention...again the use of "anti-semester" as a response to the worlds dismay with Isarel and it's lack of respect for human rights and international law.
This collapse of our international standing could not and did not happen with US Presidents that identified themselves with Western values, freedom and a strong America. Once this weak naive man was elected, the gates of hell opened up and freedom is under attack from all directions. Did I say all directions? Let me rephrase: they always attack the weakest, most vulnerable link. Obama and the European leftists are happy to let the whole world humiliate Israel, they feel it strengthens them. The fish stinks from the head. We just have to survive these two years that are left for his term, not give up on anything critical, and wait for the direction of the wind to change. It already started changing...
terrible leadership. the israeli reaction should be, to nurture nonviolence reforms in the arab neighborhoods, and west bank cities....
It is so easy to blame Barack Obama. He has tried to bring peace to the region, and it looks like one of the parties prefer to build those settlements instead of opting for peace. Perhaps international standing is collapsing for Israel because of what Israel is doing, and no one else. Israel should take a long hard look at what it is doing,and perhaps try to act a little more cooperative and less arrogant.
Indeed the wind of change is around. It smells a lot like oil in water, smoke of Tea Party grills or gun barrels pointed at illegal immigrants... Whatever it is, you will do us a great favor by voting those illiterates in on November 4. All of us "lefties" are dying to see the US make fools out of themselves one more time...
It was Obama who gave the orders to attack, as you say, 'the weakest, most vulnerable' - the people imprisoned in Gaza, who have no army, no tanks, no white phosphorus, no fighter jets etc to defend themselves, and the activists on the Mavi Marmara, whose only weapons were pocket knives, iron bars, sling shots - no match for the Israeli navy and IDF special units. Yes, the fish stinks from the head. Next thing you know is he'll stop settlement expansion in 'Judea and Samaria' and drive you into the sea. That evil, evil man!
Israel has been in the poor graces of most of the world since the 1980s once it became apparent that the occupation was no temporary measure and humiliation of the Palestinians was a systematic policy...
is a slap in the face and total disregard for international law.
... peoples are both building homes and hoping to work things out. When Jordan left, there was a vacuum, and it is being filled by the fact that populations are expanding. The land did not revert automatically to Arab property. The future is to be worked out in diplomatic style.
Where were you all this time? Israel has been showing blatant disregard for international law for decades now. And why should they care? They know that our UN Ambassadors, who should be drawing checks from two governments, will always be their apologists, no matter the warcrime or international law they break.
Israel doesn't give a hoot about International law. This has been demonstrated time and time again and anyone who believes the Netanyahu gov't is serious about peace is living in fantasy land. The only chance that Israel will get serious about peace is if the U.S. will let it be known that in no uncertain terms if Israel does not stop the settlements and comply with International law, binding UNSC resolutions and the ICJ ruling at the Hague in 2004 that they will lose all economic and military aid immediately from the U.S. That will get their attention and President Obama should do nothing less than this. Unfortunately, Obama is a coward!!
Certainly surprising the Briits are playing a large part in organizing this boycot,which has absolutily nothing to do with settlements. Maybe the time is now ripe for Israel to withdraw their Ambassador from London.
Yes please and don't bother sending a replacement. Meanwhile Europeans must ratchet up their boycott of Israeli goods and continue to threaten the arrest of Israeli war-criminals attempting to travel within European borders.
60 years ago the UN legally created the state of Israel, a move the Arab world has tried to deny and reverse ever since. Yet, when it suits their cause, the Arab world goes to the UN to complain about Israel. Which is it?
that Israel does exactly the same, or are you unaware of what's going on? I'm just curious
B) The Arab League, with the exception of Iraq, has always sought and heeded the rulings of the UN, prior to the UN the League of Nations.
The conference itself is not important. Sending a message to Israel and America is important.