Declaration of support for the Boycott of Israeli Goods

until the end of the occupation and apartheid

 

24 January 2003

 

Swiss Collective Boycott Apartheid ‘Made in Israel'

 

We are advocating the boycott of Israeli goods in Switzerland and declare ourselves active participants in the international campaign taking place in Europe, in the USA, in Israel and in the Arab world in order to protest the brutal actions of the Israeli army in the occupied territories.   Across the world the boycott is being led by a significant range of consumers and associations.  

We confirm our intention to boycott all Israeli products, in solidarity with a Palestinian population in distress and in order to condemn the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, the systematic oppression of the Palestinian population within these territories, and the destruction of their livelihood.   In particular, we condemn the demolition of homes and Palestinian agriculture, the uprooting of olive trees, the appropriation of terrain and fields by Israeli colonists as well as the channelling off of water for their sole benefit, the killings, arrests and incarceration without trial of thousands of detainees.   We refuse to be complicit by silence in response to these ongoing violations of human rights and United Nations resolutions by Israel.  

We consider that boycott is an action of non-violent civil resistance against violent repression and against an adventure which aims at the ethnic cleansing of an entire population.   The intended impact of this boycott is identical to that obtained over time by the boycott of South Africa to overturn the apartheid regime.  

We declare our intention to maintain the boycott for as long as Israel does not abandon its occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as long as Israel does not put an end to its policies violating human rights and discriminating against the Arab minority in Israel and the occupied territories, and as long as Israel refrains from putting into practice UN resolutions.  

We emphasise that we reject all forms of discrimination and racism.   Therefore, the boycott does not target members of Jewish communities around the world nor the population of Israel, but policies of the Israeli government.   We reject the repression, expropriations, expulsions and discrimination.  

The boycott will be effective if:

•  As consumers, we no longer buy products of Israeli origin and urge our parents and friends to do likewise.  

•  Through protest actions, we demand that large distributors forego the sale of Israeli products.   Moreover, we condemn the marketing of merchandise produced in the occupied territories under the label ‘Made in Israel', a practise which violates the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as the Swiss Foodstuffs Ordinance.  

•  We refuse trips and tourism to Israel, avoiding flights using Israeli companies and avoiding Israeli travel agency services.

•  We also support boycotts in the fields of academic co-operation, sport and culture.  

 

Alongside the boycott campaign, we would also like to press the Swiss Government:

1) no longer to purchase armaments in Israel;

2) to terminate the co-operation between the Confederation RUAG and Israeli arms factories, particularly that involving research;

3) to suspend the application of the accord between AELE and Israel, which favours the importation of Israeli merchandise.  

 

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Collectif suisse “Boycott apartheid ‘made in Israel'” [trad: Agence relaie]