Palestine
August 31, 2010
2 minutes read

Israel afraid of increasing boycott of its products in Europe

Israeli businessmen expressed fears that the European campaign to boycott Israeli products could widen after a sharp decline in exports.

The Israeli Maariv newspaper on Sunday published a report on the dangers of growing economic boycott of Israeli products in Europe in which it affirmed that the recent months have seen a rise in the number of European companies which withdrew their investments in Israeli companies for political reasons.

Israeli businessman Daniel Bettini, an owner of glass factory in Ariel settlement, said the boycott campaign caused enormous harm to Israel’s factories which depend on exports to Europe.

The newspaper quoted Avi Ben-Zvi, who also owns a factory of glass in the same settlement, as saying that his factory stopped exporting its products to Europe because of this campaign.

Mayor of Ariel settlement Ron Nachman said that the factories in Israeli settlements sustained a major blow and thus they need the government to intervene to threaten the boycotting European countries that Israel would not participate in the political process in the region if they did not put an end to this campaign.

Maariv also listed examples of the European parties and companies that boycotted Israel economically after pro-Palestinian pressure groups active in Europe urged them to end their business ties with Israeli companies involved in serious human rights violations against Palestinians.