ADL: Norway Labor Union’s BDS Vote Attacks ‘Very Legitimacy of Jewish State
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by Ben Cohen
BDS activists in Norway. Photo: Twitter
Norway’s largest labor union voted on Friday for a blanket boycott of Israel, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Anti-Defamation League.
“A vote in favor of boycotts, divestment and sanctions is a vote against the very legitimacy of the Jewish state,” declared ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a statement.
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) rejected a recommendation from its president, Hans-Christian Gabrielsen, by voting 197 to 117 in favor of an international economic, cultural and academic boycott against Israel. Norway’s government condemned the decision, with Foreign Minister Borge Brende calling for “more cooperation and dialogue, not boycott.”
Norwegian government strongly opposes Norw Labour Union’s decision: #boycott of #Israel. We need more cooperation and dialogue, not boycott. https://t.co/vB5K4cjUaO
— Børge Brende (@borgebrende) May 12, 2017
Israeli diplomats also reacted angrily. “This immoral resolution reflects deeply rooted attitudes of bias, discrimination and double standard towards the Jewish state,” Raphael Schutz, Israel’s Ambassador to Noway, wrote in an email to the AFP news agency.
The LO is now wedded to what it describes as a “full economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel.” BDS advocates in Europe reacted to the announcement by calling on the LO to pressure the Norwegian government to cut all economic ties with Israel. The union’s boycott follows the Norwegian city of Trondheim’s adoption, in November 2016, of a boycott of goods produced by Israeli businesses in the West Bank.
Israel and Norway enjoyed a record year of trade during 2016. Israeli exports to Norway were valued at $65 million – an increase of 28.5 percent on the previous year, and evidence of growing demand for Israeli products among Norwegian consumers.
