Board
of Deputies worried by boycott
By Bernard Josephs
Jewish Chronicle
August 2, 2002
JEWISH community leaders are calling for a counter-attack against
a pro-Palestinian campaign to get British stores to boycott Israeli
goods.
The Board of Deputies has called on shoppers to show their support
for retailers targeted by the Boycott Israel Campaign, which has
been seeking to raise its profile by staging protests at supermarkets
and other businesses which sell Israeli products.
These have included prominent high street names such as Sainsburys,
Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Asda and Safeway.
Demonstrators staged a picket at Sainsburys annual meeting,
and anti-Israel stickers have been found on Israeli wines on sale
at some branches.
A Sainsburys spokeswoman said this week that the campaign
would not alter its trading policy.
We listen to all our customers, she said, and
as long as they want to purchase goods sourced in Israel, we will
continue to provide them.
Board director-general Neville Nagler said that the boycott campaign
would do nothing to advance the cause of Middle East peace.
It is essential that well-known stores do not succumb to
such tactics, he declared.
We are, therefore, urging members of the Jewish community,
as well as the wider British public, to make every effort to support
those stores that continue to sell Israeli products.
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