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Palestinians boycott Israeli settlement goods

Mardi, 9 décembre 2009 - 7h12AM

mercredi 9 décembre 2009

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Palestinians boycott Israeli settlement goods

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3817082,00.html

Economic minister says, ’Consuming settlements’ products is wrong,
nationally, economically and politically.’ Israeli Foreign Ministry :
Move counterproductive, will only hurt peace prospects

Associated Press Published:12.08.09, 17:47 / Israel News

The Palestinians on Tuesday announced a boycott of Israeli products
made in the West Bank, stepping up their campaign against Israeli
settlements
.

Economics Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh said the Western-backed
Palestinian government already has confiscated $1 million worth of
products, including foods, cosmetics and hardware, and the goal is to
eliminate all settlement-made goods from Palestinian store shelves
next year.

"Consuming settlements’ products is wrong, nationally, economically,
politically, and must stop right away," Abu Libdeh told a news
conference.

The Palestinians have long objected to Israeli settlements in the
West Bank and east Jerusalem, captured areas the Palestinians claim
for a future independent state.

But they have stepped up their criticism since Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu took office in March. Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas refuses to resume peace talks, which broke down a year ago, unless Israel halts all settlement construction.

Netanyahu, a traditional ally of the settlers, has imposed a 10-month
slowdown on West Bank settlement construction in hopes of muting US
criticism and luring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.
The order, which forbids construction of new homes, has enraged the
settlers, who have blocked inspectors from entering their communities
to enforce the ban.

But the Palestinians dismiss the move as insincere because it
excludes east Jerusalem and 3,000 homes already being built in the
West Bank. Some 300,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in addition
to 180,000 Jewish Israelis in east Jerusalem.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the Palestinian
boycott was counterproductive and would only damage peace prospects.

« I don’t think by concentrating their efforts on boycotts they will
achieve any of the political goals, if these still include reaching a
peace agreement with Israel, » Palmor said.

Carrying out the boycott will be a challenge since the Palestinian
economy relies heavily on Israeli manufacturers for many basic goods.