British govt ‘committed to opposing Israel boycott’ – Foreign Office minister
Article By Russia Today
A British Foreign Office minister has said the UK is committed to opposing a boycott of Israel. The statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a vote by the National Union of Students (NUS) vote to boycott goods from Israel.
Tobias Ellwood MP sent the message on Twitter to Israeli National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen on Wednesday.
The Conservative Minister for the Middle East said he had a “useful” meeting with Cohen, before reaffirming the UK’s opposition to the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.
His comments come days after the NUS passed a motion to boycott Israeli goods in solidarity with BDS.
Ellwood also said he and Cohen, a former Mossad agent, had a “good discussion on Gaza.”
The Tory minister expressed his opposition to sanctions in a parliamentary debate on a motion to recognize Palestine’s statehood last December.
Useful meeting with Israeli NSA Yossi Cohen these details. Good discussion on #Gaza. Reaffirmed UK commitment to #Israel and opposition to boycotts.
— Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) June 3, 2015
A majority of British MPs passed a non-binding motion to recognize Palestine as an independent state last October.
Ellwood said he did not believe in the merits of introducing sanctions “when we are trying to get people back to the [negotiating] table.”
He added the UK government wanted to “reserve the right to recognize Palestine when that is most likely to lead to a two-state solution.”
National Security Advisor Cohen has been making the rounds in Europe, having spoken on the phone to a senior French official on Friday.
The unnamed French diplomat reportedly accused Israel of exerting “excessive” pressure in the wake of telecommunications company Orange’s decision to withdraw its operations from the country. More