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A timely demand

If Israel persists with its actions in the West Bank and Gaza - all of which are clearly illegal according to international law, despite what Israel says - then boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) a la what was done to the then South African apartheid regime is not only warranted, but a non-violent, yet effective, campaign.    A timely and recent call for action.......

"Warning European shoppers that supermarket shelf grapes and dates tagged "made in Israel" are probably produced in "illegal" settlements, NGOs on Tuesday demanded an EU-wide ban on imports of settlement goods.

In a report, 22 non-governmental organisations active in the Palestinian territories accused the European Union of propping up Israeli settler policy by doing booming business with settlements even though it views them as "illegal under international law."

The EU currently imports 230 millon euros ($300 mln) of goods a year from Israeli settlements in the occupied territory -- or 15 times more than from Palestinians themselves -- according to World Bank figures from last month.

With some four million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the occupied territory, this means the EU imports over 100 times more per settler than per Palestinian, said the report titled "Trading Away Peace: How Europe Helps Sustain Illegal Israeli Settlements."

In the report Hans Van Den Broek, a former EU foreign policy chief and ex Dutch foreign minister, said it was urgent to agree "concrete measures" to contain settlement construction, which he said was the main factor blocking the resumption of the peace process.

"If Europe wants to preserve the two-state solution, it must act without delay and take the lead," he said of the recommendations listed in the 36-page report.
"These measures, directed only at illegal settlemets outside Israel's recognised borders, do not constitute an anti-Israel agenda."

Settlement goods on sale in Europe, many from the potential breadbasket Jordan Valley, include dates, grapes, citrus fruits, herbs, wines, Ahava cosmetics, plastic Keter garden chairs and SodaStream carbonated drink products popular in Sweden."

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