The UK government is set to announce that it will be making it illegal for local councils and public bodies in England and Wales to engage in boycotts of goods and services produced by Israeli firms on contested territory in the West Bank. One of these councils is West Dunbartonshire – which has moved to use their procurement decisions to boycott and challenge Israel’s human rights record.
West Dunbartonshire SSP Councillor Jim Bollan decries the Tory ban as a “scandalous and unwarranted attack on local democracy and freedom of speech by this Tory Government introducing fascist legislation to curtail opposition to the illegal occupation of Palestine by Apartheid Israel.
“Western Governments including the UK turn a blind eye as Palestinians continue to be assassinated on the streets of the occupied territories by the Israeli Army, the latest being a 14 year old woman on Saturday. We can’t remain silent and must continue to speak out and support the moves to grow the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, called for by the Palestinians themselves, across the World.
“There can be no peace for Israel without justice for the Palestinians.”