By Sharon Roffe-Ofir, Ynetnews.com – 5 May 2010
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3885314,00.html
The northern branch of the Islamic Movement on Wednesday joined Arab states and the Palestinian Authority and called for a boycott of settlement goods. The call was directed at both Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, and the main justification was that the settlements undermine the peace process.
The Movement’s leaders in the north have launched a campaign in both Hebrew and Arabic which reveals the names of hundreds of enterprises located in the settlements, including those in the Barkan, Atarot and Maaleh Adumim industrial zones. “We want Jews and Arabs to take a step together to promote peace,” the Movement said.
In recent weeks, the Amar society, which operates for the Islamic Movement in the north, has been working on the campaign.
“We have nothing personal against those enterprises or their owners,” said Attorney Omar Hamaisi, one of the program’s initiators. “They can move to Haifa or any other place – we’ve got no problem with that. As long as they operate in the settlements, according to the ruling of the International Court in the Hague – this is a grave violation, and they are thus law-breakers.”
The Arabic version will begin Wednesday, and the Hebrew will follow within a few days.
“We want to take a step together, and we think that Jews and Arabs should support this,” Hamaisi added. “The settlements are stalling the peace process, and boycotting them is for the good of everyone.”
Ittijah, the Union of Arab Community-Based Organizations in Israel also answered the call. “We call for a boycott and sanctions against Israel,” said the organization’s director Ameer Makhoul. “This is the only way that we can put pressure on Israel and its policies.”
Will wholesalers and retailers in the Arab sector answer the call and avoid placing settler goods on their shelves?
“I am sure that numerous such products will be found, so our call is mainly to the outside world,” Makhoul explained. “It’s true that it should also happen here, but it is impossible to ask everyone to check where every product comes from. Outside Israel it’s clearer, and that’s why we choose to apply the pressure in that direction.”
The complete IOA coverage of the arrest of Ameer Makhoul and Omar Said
