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Belgian Company Boycotts Israeli Hi tech company

Disraeli | 27.09.2006 00:26 | Anti-militarism | Palestine

The boycott continues ...
Translated from Hebrew - Ynet, Israeli news website 26/9/06  http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3308353,00.html

In the aftermath of the war in Lebanon, Ynet received a number of complaints about overseas companies that were unwilling to create commercial contacts with Israelis on account of the Army's actions.

Avner (pseudonym) an Israeli businessman, who specializes in product management, marketing and development training, contacted a Belgian company to propose a business venture but was turned away because of Israel's "war crimes and apartheid regime". The Belgian company, U2U specializes in advising and developing businesses over the internet.

Instead of turning Avner down in a polite and diplomatic way, Avner was surprised to find that the reason the company gave, was principally because of the Lebanon war.

"I value your interest in my company", Wim Uyttersprot, the manager of the company wrote "but after Israel's destructive war crimes and the inhumanity they showed in Lebanon and also because of your government's apartheid regime in Palestine, it would be incompatible for U2U to associate itself with Israeli products".

"I hope that the political situation in your state will change dramatically and it will be re-established, based on peace and respect to non Jewish cultures." Although the letter had an angry tone, the head of the company Uyttersprot's signed it politely, wishing Avner all the best.

Avner replied to the company, saying that the letter was unprofessional. He tried to challenge Uyttersprot's logic.

"I wrote to him: 'You should not believe everything you see on television and read in the newspapers. Israel is a democracy surrounded by dictators. Europe also suffers from terror'", Avner told Ynet.

"I told him that Israel is a centre of technology, and that many of Microsoft's products, which he uses, were developed at our place in Haifa". Avner told U2U that he was going to expose them in the Israeli and Belgian press and also speak to Microsoft, which U2U is officially licensed to. Ynet tried to contact U2U but received no reply.

Disraeli

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28.09.2006 14:00

Good on that company for having some principles. I wonder how many other companies do the same?

Krop