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February 18th, 2016 
Awake Goy Days of Palestine, London -British government said on Wednesday that UK local authorities and public sector organisations would be prevented from boycotting Israeli occupation supplies.
“Boycotts undermine good community relations, poisoning and polarising debate, weakening integration and fuelling anti-Semitism,” a statement for the British government said.
“Apart from where legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been imposed,” the statmenet said, “procurement boycotts by public authorities were inappropriate.”
UK’s new decision coincided with visit of the Israeli Cabinet Minister Matthew Hancock. During his visit, Hancock voiced opposition to the people and organisations “calling for boycotts.”
The government said the World Trade Organisation’s Government Procurement Agreement required signatories to treat suppliers equally, and therefore any discrimination against Israeli suppliers would be in breach of the agreement.
While not a criminal offense, those in sectors such as the health service, local authorities and some university student unions imposing boycotts could face penalties including fines and contract cancellations, the government said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I want to commend the British government for refusing to discriminate against Israel and Israelis and I commend you [Hancock] for standing up (for) the one and only true democracy in the Middle East.”
In 2014, the city council in Leicester in central England agreed to boycott produce from Israeli settlements.
Under European Union guidelines issued in November, products made in illegal Israeli settlements built in the occupied Palestinian West Bank must be labeled as such, rather than carry a “Made in Israel” label.
Source Article from http://www.daysofpalestine.com/news/uk-bans-boycotting-israeli-occupation-supplies/
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