BDS Co-Founder Calls on UK to End All Trade with Israel
BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti stated that in order to prevent the genocide in Gaza, the UK must end all trade with Israel, rather than limiting measures to settlements alone.
Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, stated that the UK must cut off all commercial relations with Israel due to its obligations stemming from international law in order to halt the events in Gaza.
International Obligations and Call for Boycott
BDS movement co-founder Omar Barghouti expressed that the UK has a legal and moral responsibility to stop the genocide in Gaza. Barghouti emphasized that merely halting trade with illegal Israeli settlements or imposing additional sanctions is not enough.
He also argued that sanctions targeting individual settler groups or extremist ministers are merely window dressing and a distraction.
UK Policies and New Steps
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband promised in a statement on Tuesday to introduce a comprehensive realignment in the UK's policy toward Israel in the coming weeks.
It was reported that the UK government is preparing to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and is exploring ways to prevent British companies from financing or advertising new settlements.
Israel's Reaction and Warning of Counter-Action
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reacted to the UK's potential steps, stating that if the UK takes action against the Israeli state, Israel will also take action against the UK and possesses the necessary tools to do so.