Boycott causing Israel 'problems'

After Israel's December-January military assault on Gaza, the global boycott campaign against Israel is starting to have an impact.

The March 30 Jerusalem Post said 21% of Israeli exporters faced "problems" in selling Israeli goods abroad. Yair Rotloi, chair of the foreign-trade committee of the Israel Manufacturers Association, told the Post this was "because of an anti-Israel boycott, mainly from the UK and Scandinavian countries".

Since then, many more trade unions, student organisations and academics from around the globe have signed onto the international campaign to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel (BDS).

Concerned, Israel's anti-Palestinian and pro-apartheid "union", Histadrut, is seeking to develop a multi-national coalition of Zionist-friendly union officials to resist the BDS movement.

The April 27 edition of the Jerusalem Post said the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Paul Howes, is one of three union officials worldwide leading this Zionist effort.

On April 24, the three officials announced the launch of a new pro-Zionist group called Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine (TULIP).

From GLW issue 793