Israel Spars With Kerry on Boycotts Ahead of Peace Plan

Israeli ministers sparred with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry over peacemaking, suggesting he’s giving implicit support to a global campaign to sanction the Jewish state for its settlements.

A day after Kerry warned Israel of the economic damage sanctions could cause, Israeli Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called the top U.S. diplomat’s remarks “offensive, unfair and intolerable.” Israel, he said, “can’t be expected to negotiate with a gun to its head.”

Kerry, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, had referred to an “increasing delegitimization campaign” that includes “talks of boycotts” as a risk for Israel if there’s no peace accord with Palestinians. He said the relative calm and prosperity that Israel now enjoys is “illusionary.” Kerry has consistently opposed sanctions against Israel and was only making a “statement of fact,” the State Department said today.

It’s the latest sign of tension between the longtime allies over Kerry’s efforts to prod Israel and the Palestinians toward a peace agreement. He has promoted the plan in several visits to the region in the year since he took the job, drawing criticism from members of Netanyahu’s cabinet who say the Jewish state is being pushed into abandoning core interests.

‘Proponent of Israel’

The boycott debate comes after pro-Palestinian activists scored several successes in a campaign to blacklist businesses operating in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, land occupied by Israel since 1967 and claimed by Palestinians for a future state. Targets include Israeli banks and companies such as SodaStream International Ltd. (SODA), a maker of home soft-drink machines.

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-02/israel-spars-with-kerry-on-boycotts-as-u-s-peace-proposal-nears.html