Fighting anti-Israel boycott
Photo: Reuters
Fighting for Israel - Nigel Lawrence
UK Jews fight Scottish boycott
British Jews initiate campaign to counter West Dunbartonshire anti-Israel boycott; Group wanted to boycott Scottish district, discovered nothing is produced there, campaign leader says
A group of British Jews have decided to fight back a Scottish anti-Israel boycott, inundating the district behind the move with complaint letters and setting up a Facebook page to counter the embargo.
Nigel Lawrence, a representative of the Board of Deputies of Anglo Jewry, told Ynetnews of the initiative, which followed reports that Scotland's West Dunbartonshire Council was boycotting all Israeli-made products, including books.
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"It infuriates me that Israel is set aside from all other nations," Lawrence said. "I see no reason for this other than anti-Semitism and I am enraged at the ongoing bias against Israel by some UK institutions."
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"There are a large number of Jewish people in the UK with a very strong love of Zionism," he said. "The community is, at last, starting to recognize Anti-Zionism for what it is. I am proud to be a part of this growing movement."
Lawrence said he and other Israel fans set up a Facebook Group to boycott all goods and services in West Dunbartonshire in response to the anti-Israel boycott.
"Sadly, no one has found anything made there - not even whiskey," he said.
'Trade will go on as normal'
Lawrence added that during research into the issue, the pro-Israel group discovered that the life expectancy for Gaza Strip men is 71, compared to only 70 in West Dunbartonshire.
"We are thinking of asking Palestinians in Gaza to send an aid flotilla to Dumbarton shire with health tips," he quipped. "We are asking people from Gaza to send a flotilla with Mars bars, batter and cooking oil in solidarity."
Lawrence noted that a letter of complaint over the matter was sent to Scottish Member of European Parliament Catherine Stihler, who dismissed the Scottish boycott call as largely meaningless.
"A Council isn't able to enforce a ban or make the decision to criminalize trade from a state; this can only come from Westminster," the MEP wrote. "So the decision seems to be councilors boycotting products from Israel which they cannot force upon anyone but themselves; trade will go on as normal."
"The statement of the councilor is not very helpful at a time when we are trying to realize peace in the Middle East," Stihler concluded.
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