U.K. labor unions back Israel boycott in wake of Gaza war

Yes, boycott Israel until occupation and apartheid end. And drag those accountable for war crimes in Gaza to the Hague for trial. Hang them like Nazis after the second world war ended?

I'm quite certain any explosives that Palestinians produce are used locally.

1. How much of those items reach stores most of us have access to? 2. How can we tell a item is produced by Palestinians?

How does one boycott a demand?

For defensive purposes, Israel occupies some slivers of land in the ME. China occupies the immense land mass of Tibet. Can you imagine these Brits boycotting Chinese products? What would they have left?

It can only gain strength with this ruling charging Israel with war crimes. Soon will come the day when nothing made or grown in these occupied territories will be found in the markets of Europe.

explosives! see this news: 22:36 Explosives lab uncovered near Bethlehem in the West Bank (Ch. 10)

Issrael will have to learn the lesson - the civilized world will not tolerate illegal occupation apparently justified by fictional stories in religious comic books!

have you called, too, for a boycott of palestinian products? if not, why not? may i remind you that israel withdrew already from gaza and nevertheless was attacked from gaza? when will you wake up, ivor biggun?

furnitures, dresses, accesories, decorations, olive oil, etc. etc.

U.K. Fire Brigades? Gee, I hope we still have a friend with the Meter Maids.

I hope Palestinians will continue to support Israeli produce as they do today

"those behind the boycotts are hurting Palestinians rather than helping them" You sound like these good souls who in the struggle for abolition argued that the blacks are better off being fed and clothed by their masters than left on their own as free people.

The pace of boycotts will accelerate now that everything has been documented.

"maybe we should ban the use of all medical products and procedures developed in Israel as well as all technical services and items developed here from being used in the UK" How would you enforce the ban?

When you boycott on a consistent basis Israel but not Sudan, China, Iran, North Korea, etc. that commit similar "inequality and injustice", that is a good evidence of anti-semitism

In my business I ran across a Palestinian (around age 24)and we spent some time talking about the Israeli and Palestinian situation. While he was brought up to believe the Jews were the problem, when he came to the US and was educated (college grad) he realized it is the Palestinian leadership and Arab governments that were at fault. His comments that the people are afraid to rise up because they will be killed and that he sees how Israel has developed and the PLO has hindered his own (he commented on the billions Arafat scammed) you realize that Israel and the Jews are not the problem. Other people may think that because they are cynics or anti-Semites. While there are issues on both sides all you have to do is look at the living standard and education etc in Israel and that of its hostile neighbors and you would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to figure out the real truth.

Since the majority of the employees of the industries concerned are Palestinian and the industrial parks were located where they are to provide employment for Palestinians, those behind the boycotts are hurting Palestinians rather than helping them. These union decisions are misguided and self-defeating!

It is this kind of pressure that is needed. And, as a point of information, the Palestinian workers in Israeli settler industries are only there because their land, resources and freedom of movement were denied to them by the settlement project. Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, for example, would much rather still be working their own land than slaving for pitiful money on a settler's farm. Moreover, that farm was probably built on land that was theirs before the state assisted in grabbing it. So, 'Saul A. Reader' that dumb argument simply doesn't hold any water.

A new generation of 30 and 40 somethings are now taking over from the 'old guard'. The new generation do not carry the burden of guilt of WW2 (that Israel currently uses to get its own way). If Israel continues to treat its neighbours with contempt and violence then support for anything Israeli will crumble. The boycott of goods and general falling of standing on the world stage is just the beginning. The new generation are not anti Isreali or anti Semites, they are simply anti inequality and pro justice. If Israel continues on its present course, within a generation it will find itself alone and isolated. The decision on how to proceed in the future is yours Israel.....

The Americans have killed more Afghans in the last few years than Israel has killed Arabs in the last 61 years. Will the miserable UK labor unions be boycotting Washington too??

The US should join in this effort and should henceforth withhold any and all aid to Israel. (Not one more dime of my tax monies. When and if Israel withdraws to behind the Green Line should they be lifted. Enough is enough. The world is impatient. Israel is guilty of hubris: Nemesis shall follow.

boycott for the last six months. When I heard the Fire Brigade Union was considering putting forward this motion, to boycott Israel. There are very specific sanctions against Israel to ensure that it cannot profit from the illegal occupation of Palestinian Land. The Arms boycott is specifically aimed at making war for Israel to expensive in monetary terms by ensuring Israel pays the full cost of each and every bullet used to kill Palestinians. When Israel withdraws behind the greenline of 1967 under international agreement, then the boycott will be lifted. Israel proper is not affected. By doing this (unlike with the Lecturers attempt at a boycott) we have gleaned the maximum amount of support. Hence it was passed. We are learning how to mount an effective boycott of Israel with the support of the community, good isn't it?

If they wish to punish the Israelis in such a naive manner, maybe we should ban the use of all medical products and procedures developed in Israel as well as all technical services and items developed here from being used in the UK. Maybe they will learn to appreciate what we do.

Remind me again how many civilians were (and are still being) killed by the British army which traveled half way around the world to invade Iraq and Afghanistan?

which are just as deserving of boycotts.

Even if they wanted to, what Palestinian products are there for them to boycott?

in israeli settlements. this means: when products from the settlements are boycotted, palestinians get harmed since they will lose their jobs. well, perhaps that is exactly what the british unions want - an economic crisis among palestinians following the loss of jobs!?!

again they want to boycott only israel! what about the palestinians?? as far as i've heard they committed war crimes, didnt they?!....

Boycotts will happen, despite the rights and wrongs of Israel's policy. Israel is vulnerable and surely its political stratgey should be 1/ To be self sufficient in all its needs 2/ To ensure a more equitable distribution of income so that no one needs to be hungry. 3/ "Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof" So says the Good Book and if that is followed all should fall into place