Victory for Activists: Boycotting Israeli goods
Victory for Palestine Activists: boycotting Israeli goods
According to Green Left Weekly, ‘Seven activists who
blockaded the
British distribution centre of Israel’s
biggest state-owned agricultural export company Agrexco in
November 2004 were acquitted of all charges on January 26.
The activists had been charged with ‘aggravated trespass and
failure to leave land’ for their protest, which aimed to
highlight Israeli apartheid and the illegal occupation of
the Palestinian territories. According to Agrexco, it lost
£100,000 as a result of the eight-hour blockade.
The protesters argued as a defense that they were acting to prevent crimes against international law, that are also offences in the UK under the International Criminal Court Act. In the end, the activists were acquitted because British Land Registry documents showed Agrexco (UK) had built entrance and exit gates on other people’s land and had no legal right to ask them to leave.
Agrexco is Israel’s
largest importer of agricultural produce into the
European Union, and it is 50% Israeli state owned. Amos
Orr, Agrexco
UK’s general manager, said in court that
Agrexco imports between 60-70% of all produce that is grown
on illegal settlements in the occupied territories. At the
same time Israeli forces have blocked Palestinian exports on
grounds of ‘security.’ Israeli state sponsored settlements
have appropriated land and water resources by military force
from Palestinian farmers in a deliberate policy of colonial
settlement.
In a well planned operation, using wire fences and bicycle D-Locks the protesters succeeded in blockading the Agrexco (UK) distribution centre, blocking all motor vehicle traffic in and out of the building before being arrested. Before taking part in this action many of the defendants had witnessed first hand the suffering of Palestinian communities under the brutal Israeli occupation, having served as volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), documenting human rights abuses by the Occupation Forces in the West Bank and Gaza, and taking part in non-violent civil resistance to the occupation organised by Palestinian civilian committees.
The international campaign to boycott Israeli
goods is growing across
Europe. In December 2005 a whole
region of Norway voted to cut economic relations with
Israel. The US administration has threatened ‘serious
political consequences’ against Norway if the boycott should
develop into a national
policy.