US Jewish groups criticises Iceland capital's Israel boycott

Two prominent US Jewish groups on Friday denounced Iceland's capital city council for voting to boycott Israeli products over the occupation of Palestinian territory.

Reykjavik's council approved a motion Tuesday to halt the city's purchase of such products until the occupation ends.

It is the latest European city to join a global boycott and divestment campaign.

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are seen as illegal under international law as well as a threat to the Middle East peace process by eroding the basis for a future Palestinian state.

The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, a human rights group, issued a travel advisory to warn Jews of Reykjavik's "racist vote" which it said could "create an environment hostile to Israelis and other Jews."

The New York-headquartered World Jewish Congress meanwhile urged Iceland's federal government to act against the boycott, which it said "only strengthens extremists on both sides."

Israel's foreign ministry has described the vote as a "volcano of hatred."

Source: AFP