Iceland Government Backs Away From Capital City’s Israel Boycott
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The national government of Iceland said it does not support a decision by Reykjavik, its capital city, to boycott Israeli products.
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. The symbolic resolution calls for a boycott of Israeli goods and condemns Israel’s “policy of apartheid.”
The foreign ministry also said the resolution also does not reflect on Iceland’s relations with the State of Israel, a spokesman said in an email to the Israeli news site.
In 2013 through this year, Iceland’s imports from Israel totaled roughly $6 million, mostly machinery and Dead Sea chemicals, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Reykjavik resolution.
“For no reason or justification, except hatred for its own sake, calls of boycotting the state of Israel are heard,” its statement said. “We hope someone in Iceland will come to their senses and end the one-sided blindness fielded against Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”
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