Iceland’s capital city council have voted in favor of boycotting all Israeli-made products.
Iceland Magazine reported that the city council voted on Tuesday that Reykjavík would not purchase any goods manufactured in Israel as long as the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories continues.
They write: The motion was put forward by Björk Vilhelmsdóttir, councilwoman for the Social Democratic Alliance. Björk is retiring from politics, and putting this motion forward was her last major act in the city council. According to the motion the City of Reykjavík will boycott Israeli goods “as long as the occupation of Palestinian territories continues.”
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The explanatory memorandum argues the boycott is a symbolic act. It shows that the City of Reykjavík supports the right of Palestinians to independence, while condemning “the Israeli policy of apartheid” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The City might boycott other countries accused of human rights violations
Sóley Tómasdóttir of the Left Green Alliance, who forms part of the governing coalition in Reykjavík City Hall, along with the Social Democrats, Bright Future and the Pirate Party, told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, that the boycott created pressure on authorities in Israel to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories. She also argued the city might boycott products manufactured in other states which engage in human rights violations.
According to the times of Israel the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the move, and, in an apparent reference to Iceland’s status as a hotbed of volcanic activity, said “a volcano of hatred spews forth from the Reykjavik city council building.
“For no reason or justification, except hatred for its own sake, calls of boycotting the state of Israel are heard,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We hope someone in Iceland will come to their senses and end the one-sided blindness fielded against Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”
One local attorney may step up to the task, the Icelandic news site, visir.is reported. Einar Gautur Steingrímsson claimed that the motion violates the Icelandic constitution.
“This is as illegal as refusing to do business with red haired people and it makes no difference whether they justify their decision with references to some alleged actions by the Israelis,” he told the website.
Niamh Harris
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