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Real action needed on Israeli settlements: Activist

Tuesday, 19 January 2016 9:52 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 19 January 2016 9:53 AM ]

Palestinians walk past a sign painted on a wall in the West Bank calling to boycott Israeli products coming from illegal settlements, June 5, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

Press TV has interviewed Pam Bailey, with the Euro-Med Monitor of Human Rights, about a decision made by the European Union (EU) to support labeling those Israeli products that come from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you make of this resolution, historic or something to be expected?

Bailey: Not to be expected actually. We’ve been waiting for a very long time for some concrete steps to be taken. So, this is actually very good news. It doesn’t go far enough, but it’s a good sign that Europe is finally realizing that it cannot allow the United States to continue to play the major role in bringing justice to this region.

So, I really welcome the fact that the EU started taking some strong measures. It needs to go farther in terms of actual sanctions perhaps, change in trade status, that would actually force Israel to start taking some action on the ground.

Also I don’t see any mention of Gaza. A lot of focus right now is on settlements, but that has not addressed the injustice of the continuing blockade on Gaza. So, there needs to be a lot more action, but this is a promising first sign.

Press TV: Right now, if we look at this first time for what it is at the moment, what will it mean for those who have been fighting against Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands?

Bailey: Well, it definitely lends support to the BDS movement – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. There has to be more public education because if you change the labeling as a lot of consumers who won’t notice and if they do notice, they won’t know that means, so, it won’t result in anything much right away, but it definitely put some wind into the sails of the BDS movement, which is the one way that citizens themselves can take action.

Press TV: And do you think this is one of those examples of the increasing isolation of Israel in the court of public opinion?

Bailey: Oh, absolutely. I think public opinion is ahead of the governments actually. So, it’s when you see the government acts that you know that it is starting to have some effect. But so yeah, it’s a small victory and it does mean that the public opinion is definitely turning away from it, because, like I said, governments are the last to act, but we need more. We need more action that actually changes something on the ground.

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