Zionists fear the spread of Boycott-Israel campaigns

"Fears spread of UK boycott campaign" By JONNY PAUL JERUSALEM POST May 31, 2007 Full article on the Web at: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1180527974042

Following the vote by the British Union of Colleges and Universities (UCU) to consider imposing a boycott on Israeli academics, concern is growing that the largest labor union in Britain, UNISON, might go further and vote to boycott Israeli products.

Israel has also noted that the leader of South Africa's trade union federation has now come out in favor of a campaign of boycotts and sanctions against Israel.

Alarmed by the prospect of a UNISON boycott move, Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini on Thursday sent a letter to his UNISON counterpart to try to avert the potentially harmful vote, scheduled for mid-June….

...Sources in the UK said it was not clear how serious was the threat of a UNISON boycott, but Eini noted with concern that if it did pass, UK pension funds would stop investing in Israel and UNISON's 1.6 million members could themselves boycott Israeli goods.

"The UCU vote was only the latest in a series of trades union initiatives designed to sanction Israel - efforts that have hitherto tended to fizzle or be quickly overturned.

"Earlier this week, meanwhile, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) president Willie Madisha said COSATU supported a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

"Madisha was speaking at a news conference in which South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, urged South Africans to turn out in their thousands for national protest action next week in solidarity with the Palestinians.

"The COSATU president said action against Israel 'must be sustained for as long as possible beyond the week we have identified. COSATU will campaign among organizations of the working class around the world to support this call.'

"Also Thursday, the Enough! Coalition, of which UNISON is a member, announced that it had scheduled a demonstration in London for June 9 to protest Israel's military presence in the West Bank.

"Reactions to Wednesday's UCU vote came fast and furious on Thursday, with Israeli officials and academics expressing outrage and British Jews and politicians condemnation…"

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