Demonstrators march on Whitehall in London to oppose Israel's actions in Gaza
The Chairman of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has urged the UK government to slap sanctions as scything as those being imposed on Russia against the Israeli state.
In an interview with IBTimes UK, Hugh Lanning said the tide of public and governmental opinion has turned against Israel and that BDS, the global lobby group campaigning to penalise Israel for its occupation of the Palestinian Territories, has enjoyed unprecedented support in recent weeks.
"In the past all the mainstream parties wouldn't countenance any discussions. The Labour Party of which I'm a member was very keen to not be associated with anything that said boycott. The glass ceiling has been broken with talk of the arms embargo and military trade.
"We get the feeling that people are anxious. Individuals who have been outraged by what they've seen want ways in which they can individually protest. Boycott actions are being seen as a way the person in the street can say: out with that," he said.
The groundswell of public opinion against Israel can be seen in countless examples of anti-Israel activity across the UK. Today it was reported that Buycott, an app that allows consumers to search for products linked to countries or companies, has gathered 350,000 supporters for two anti-Israel campaigns.
Under pressure from BDS, the security company G4S announced that it will stop operating Israeli prisons which allegedly hold Palestinians illegally. John Lewis has stopped stocking Soda Stream products because the company has a factory in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Lanning urged the government to take swift action over an arms embargo on Israel and said the organisation will be lobbying officials in the UK and EU to alter the terms of trade agreements with Israel.
"If you apply international law to other areas of trade: we'll be asking the government to not just look at military but to apply wider sanctions. Look at the Russian sanctions of the military, high-tech and finance sectors. We think we're in similar territory and they ought to be considering sanctions on Israel if they don't abide by international law," he said.
Annual bilateral trade between the UK and Israel exceeds £3bn, with Prime Minister David Cameron saying he would "review" the country's arms exports arrangements, amid a public and media backlash.
ZIO-OVERLORD SPEAKS
The CEO of British Israel Chamber of Commerce Dermot Kehoe, however, told IBTimes UK that he is confident trade sanctions will not be enforced:
"British politicians on both sides of the house [$] have repeatedly made it clear that they oppose any boycott or trade sanctions on Israel, and despite concerns over the recent conflict this is not likely to change.
"Successive UK governments have recognised that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex and the best way to promote a solution is to engage positively with both sides. UK-Israel trade has grown rapidly in recent years to the benefit of both countries and David Cameron made clear in his recent visit to Israel that the UK is committed to further developing bilateral trade," he said.
"Complex"? "Promote a solution"? "Engage positively"? Time's up, Kehoe. The temporizing and the weaseling won't work any longer. The world is on to you.
