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Deputy Sam Mezec is launching a campaign for an Islandwide boycott of Israel and Israeli firms.
St Helier No. 2 Deputy Sam Mézec is hosting a meeting at the Town Hall next week and plans to set up a pressure group to campaign for justice for Palestine.
Deputy Mézec said: “Last year as Israel was launching another of its regular bombardments of the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and committing what has been widely viewed as war crimes, I set up a Facebook page to draw attention to the atrocities being committed by Israel and to point out whenever the Jersey government was seeking to engage with them.
“The page has received 130 ‘likes’ and I believe now is the time to give a voice to those Islanders who do not want to see Jersey associating with countries like Israel who commit these sorts of atrocities and who want to show our solidarity with the victims.”
His aim is that the new group will become affiliated to the national BDS – the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that campaigns for governments, businesses and consumers to boycott goods from Israel.
It hopes to create the same impact that the boycott South Africa movement had during the days of Apartheid, forcing a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Just a week after Jersey commemorated the anniversary of the Island’s liberation back in May, the Economic Development Minister and his assistant ministers met representatives of the Israeli Embassy who were visiting Jersey on ‘al Nakba Day’ – the anniversary of the day Israel occupied Palestine.
Deputy Mézec said: “I know that I am not alone in regularly feeling very frustrated when I see government ministers engaging with countries with horrendous human rights records, so I hope this group will give an outlet to Islanders who want to see our government take a higher moral position and to discuss what policies could be pursued to keep Jersey’s integrity intact.”
The meeting next Thursday in the Committee Room at the Town Hall starts at 7.30pm.
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