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Norway’s Largest Trade Union Calls for Blanket Boycott of «Israel»

Norway’s Largest Trade Union Calls for Blanket Boycott of «Israel»
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Local Editor

The largest and most influential umbrella organization of labor unions in Norway, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions [LO], representing close to one million workers, endorsed on Friday a full boycott of the "Israeli" entity to achieve Palestinian rights under international law.

Norway’s Largest Trade Union Calls for Blanket Boycott of «Israel»

"Since dialogue and resolutions have had little effect, there must henceforth come an effort to achieve an international economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel in order to achieve those objectives," the resolution read.

In recent years, LO called to boycott various "Israeli" institutions, including the "Histadrut" labor union, and businesses "that profit from the occupation of Palestinian land," as the organization stated in a 2013 resolution.

Virtually all major player in the "Israeli" entity's industrial and economic sector have dealings with or offices in "Israeli" settlements, a fact that has contributed to such calls by LO being interpreted as a call for a blanket boycott on the "Israeli" economy.

However, a Norwegian government spokesperson distanced the Cabinet from the vote and said it does not represent the official position of Norway.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende wrote on Twitter: "Norwegian government strongly opposes Norw Labour Union's decision: #boycott of #Israel. We need more cooperation and dialogue, not boycott."

Meanwhile, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions [BDS] movement, which campaigns for Palestinian rights, hailed the LO's move as a necessary means to secure fundamental Palestinian rights.

"By courageously heeding the Palestinian BDS call..., LO joins some of the world's most important trade union federations... in calling for meaningful BDS pressure on the corporations and institutions that have enabled decades of Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid," said the BDS national committee.

It also expressed hope for close cooperation with LO to translate the new policy adopted by the trade union "into effective measures of accountability at the academic, cultural and economic levels to uphold human rights and international law."

It further urged LO to exert pressure on the Norwegian government to cut its military ties with the "Israeli" entity and to divest funds from all companies complicit in the regime's occupation and settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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