Iceland government says city of Reykjavik’s resolution on boycotting Israeli

The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Friday issued a travel warning for Jews wishing to visit the Icelandic capital after Reykjavik municipality voted Tuesday in favor of a boycott of Israeli goods “as long as the occupation of Palestinian territories continues”.

He also predicted that “Israel, with its powerful tools in Washington and Brussels, will certainly pull out its entire bullying arsenal to try to reverse this precedent-setting, historic victory for the boycott movement against its regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid”.

Bjork Vilhelmsdottir, a councilwoman with the Social Democratic Alliance, introduced the motion.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Emanuel Nachson said in response to the motion: A volcano of hate is now exploding in Reykjavik’s city council building.

Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the resolution approved by the City Council of Reykjavik earlier this week is “not in line” with its foreign policy, the Times of Israel reported. For no reason or justification, aside from pure hatred, there are calls to boycott the State of Israel. “We hope that someone in Iceland will wake up and put an end to this blindness and one-sidedness that is demonstrated toward Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East”.

“This is clearly a discriminatory move and we have already sought advice that it might break worldwide law and treaties”, Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the EJC, said.

According to its sponsors the resolution was meant as a symbolic vote and it will unlikely have any impact on trade between Iceland and Israel.

The New York-headquartered World Jewish Congress meanwhile urged Iceland’s federal government to act against the boycott, which it said “only strengthens extremists on both sides”.

“Many have stated that they will start with Israel and then explore other situations, and none have ever gone beyond Israel”.