Palestinians call for arms embargo on Israel

A coalition of Palestinian political parties, trade unions and non-government organisations (NGOs) backed by Nobel Prize laureates from abroad, called on Friday for an arms embargo against Israel. "A comprehensive military embargo on Israel is long overdue," said a statement from the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee. "It would form a crucial step towards ending Israel’s unlawful and criminal use of force against the Palestinian people and other peoples and states in the region and would constitute an effective, non-violent measure to pressure Israel to comply with its obligations under international law," it said. The appeal was timed to mark the anniversary of a July 9, 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s West Bank separation barrier is illegal. The statement said that the embargo call was supported by Nobel Prize winners Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire and Adolfo Perez Esquivel and by Canadian writer and social activist Naomi Klein. "I endorse this call for an arms embargo because we desire peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis through non-violent ways," it quoted Tutu as saying.