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States Weigh Boycott on Israeli Goods - UN Security Council - Global Policy Forum States Weigh Boycott
on Israeli GoodsBy Daniel Sobelman
Ha'aretz
October 10, 2001Representatives of 19 Arab states are currently meeting in Damascus to discuss imposing a boycott on firms dealing with Israel. A spokesman for the representatives of the Arab states said that the move was aimed at putting pressure on Israel to stop its action against the Palestinian Authority.
The Arab League first voted to boycott Israel in 1951. This, however, is the first time since the Oslo accords were signed in September 1993 that the officials responsible for implementing the boycott have convened. Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania, which have treaties with Israel, are not attending the meet.
The Damascus convention follows an earlier meeting of "experts" from 13 Arab countries, in July, to discuss the issue. In the first stage, it is believed, the participants will call for a boycott of Israeli goods sold via a third country to Arab states. There have already been calls not to purchase Israeli goods that can be found in the markets of countries such as Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.
The Syrian attempt to reimpose the boycott is expected to run into additional problems as some Arab states participating in the meeting are part of the World Trade Organization.
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