i24news

PublishedApril 02nd 2014

            

Arab Member of Knesset: Boycott West Bank products

Ahmed Tibi says 'supporting settlement products is immoral and against international law'

Arab Member of Knesset Ahmed Tibi (UAL -Ta’al), an outspoken critic of the Israeli government known for his theatrics on the podium, said Tuesday that buying products made in the settlements is a violation of international law, the Jerusalem Post reported.

In a meeting with Palestinian activists in Brussels, Tibi said: "It is important and moral that there be instructions to boycott all settlement products. Supporting settlement products is immoral and against international law."

Tibi added that "a policy of discrimination" created a gap between Jews and Arabs in Israel and that European financial aid should reach Arab citizens and help shrink that gap.

Tibi also discussed the Beduin’s situation in the Negev in light of the controversial Prawer plan, aimed at relocating thousands of nomadic Bedouins in the south of Israel.

"Prawer Plan" suggests that around 40,000 Arab Bedouins from dozens of villages that are "unrecognized" by the Israeli state be forced to move into seven towns. The Israeli government argues their resettlement plan would benefit the Bedouin population and promises compensation to the eligible.

Some 200,000 Bedouin live in the southern desert, half in government-built towns and half in 42 ramshackle "unrecognized" villages without running water, electricity or sanitation.

The Israeli government maintains that under the plan, the Bedouin would be offered a range of options and would be able to choose between rural, agricultural, communal, suburban or urban communities.

Tibi called for a European delegation to come to the Negev to see what he called "the dangers of the now-defunct Prawer plan."