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from TrueActivist Website recovered through WayBackMachine Website
PDF format voted last week to ban Israeli goods in a symbolic gesture to protest
Israel's treatment of
Palestinians. The city council of Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, has voted to ban all Israeli-made goods in protest of the continuing,
Concerns regarding Israel's policies towards the Palestinians were renewed following Israel's announcement in July that it would build Israeli homes in the contested West Bank, inciting violent protests.
Most countries consider these new settlements, as well as previous ones, illegal, and even the US State Department has expressed its concerns over Israeli settlement expansion.
In the past, Reykjavik's city council has been critical of Israel and has previously adopted resolutions that acknowledge Palestinian rights to independence and a sovereign nation.
According to Iceland's foreign ministry, the small island nation purchased $6 million of Israeli imports, most of which in the form of fruits and vegetables, equipment, and machinery.
Iceland's national government said that the boycott would only be limited to the country's capital and has tried to distance itself from the action of Reykjavik's city council.
Yet, as Iceland's largest city and home to half its population, Reykjavik's decision to boycott Israel will likely cause some economic impact though it is hard to say whether or not it will be significant.
Israeli exports totaled $53.7 billion in 2014, meaning its exports to Iceland represent a meager 1.1% of its total annual exports.
Israel has claimed a significant amount of Palestinian land in its 70-year history.
Overall, it appears that Israel is much more concerned with the symbolic impact of the boycott as opposed to its economic effects as they have been actively fighting against several recent international boycotts in response to Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people, most notably the BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions).
Concerns about the growth of boycott movements have led Israel to pass legislation allowing for the deportation of foreign activists, to threaten the lives of BDS supporters, and to lobby for legislation in other countries to prevent future boycotts.
They have even teamed up with Facebook to try and prevent criticism of Israel on social media.
Israel's government responded to news of Reykjavik's boycott with harsh criticism.
Emmanuel Nahshon, Israel's foreign minister, responded by saying:
Some Icelanders were also critical of the boycott, including a local attorney who said the ban on Israeli goods violates the Icelandic constitution.
It remains to be seen if Israel will take action against Iceland as a result of the new boycott.
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