Israel Boycott Warning Dismissed By Netanyahu ift.tt/1fBApF2 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted efforts to boycott the country will not achieve their goal. US Secretary of State John Kerry had suggested that a failure of peace talks with the Palestinians would accelerate calls for a de-legitimisation campaign against the Jewish state. A small but growing number of European businesses and pension funds have begun to drop investments or limit trade with Israeli firms involved in settlements of the West Bank it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. And at a security conference in Germany, Mr Kerry warned a breakdown in Israeli-Palestinian discussions could threaten Israels economic prosperity and its safety. You see for Israel theres an increasing de-legitimisation campaign that has been building up, he said. People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things. Todays status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100%, cannot be maintained. Its not sustainable. Its illusionary. Theres a momentary prosperity, theres a momentary peace. Israeli West Bank settlements are seen as illegal under international law But at the opening of his weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu said international pressure on Israel would backfire and only cause the Palestinians to harden their positions. Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust, he said. Moreover, they will not achieve their goal. Israels intelligence minister, Yuval Steinitz, of Mr Netanyahus ruling Likud party, called Mr Kerrys comments offensive, unfair and insufferable. You cant expect the state of Israel to conduct negotiations with a gun pointed to its head, he said. Economics minister Naftali Bennett, from the religious, pro-settler Jewish Home party, said all the advice givers should know Israel will not abandon its land because of economic threats. We expect our friends around the world to stand beside us, against anti-Semitic boycott efforts targeting Israel, and not for them to be their amplifier, he said. Only security will bring economic stability. Related Stories Scarlett Johansson Quits As Oxfam Ambassador Israel Must Divide Ancient West Bank Village John Kerry Undeterred By Messiah Jibe
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 18:22:46 +0000
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