JEDDAH, 17 March 2005 — A senior OIC official has said that the Islamic boycott is a peaceful and legitimate means to pile pressure on Israel to implement international resolutions.
Ambassador Salem El-Honi, high commissioner of the Islamic Office for the Boycott of Israel at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), made the remarks here on Monday while addressing the eighth meeting of the liaison officers of the Regional Offices for the Boycott of Israel.
El-Honi said the anti-Israel boycott would continue to be a tool to serve the Ummah until the liberation of the occupied Arab lands and the restoration of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including their right to return to their homeland and establish a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.
El-Honi explained that the boycott mechanism has gained international legitimacy and has been endorsed by a number of regional and international organizations. He stressed the role of the media in highlighting the resolutions adopted by Islamic summits and ministerial conferences calling for the reactivation of the Islamic boycott of Israel.
The meeting discussed matters related to reviving the boycott and activating its modalities, including review of the current status of the companies figuring in the boycott list. It also discussed the extent to which the resolutions of the last meeting have been carried through.
Boycott organizers have drawn up lists of companies that are thought to channel aid to Israel. Many NGOs, civic organizations, student groups and professional associations have joined the campaign by urging people to shun products of these companies in favor of local alternatives.
