PLO prepares to boycott US goods over Jerusalem decision

In response to US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) is seeking to organise an Arab conference on boycotting US goods and companies and opposing the normalisation of Arab relations with Israel, according to PLO Executive Committee member Taysir Khaled.

Khaled said in a press statement that “effective consultations and communication has started in many Arab countries, especially Morocco, Lebanon and Jordan, so as to hold a conference targeting civil society institutions in the Arab countries to spread the idea of boycotting US goods as was done with boycotting Israeli goods,” according to Anadolu Agency.

This is the first time that official Palestinian statements have included calls for boycotting US goods in response to Trump’s decision. In January the PLO called for Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries to cut ties with the US.

Khaled noted that the conference will discuss how to deal with Arab countries which normalise relations with Israel.

Read: PLO calls for Arab countries to boycott US over Jerusalem decision

On 3 February the organisation’s Executive Committee decided to start preparation and plans for disengagement steps with the Israeli authorities at the political, administrative, and economic and security levels.

According to a statement issued by the committee last Saturday following its meeting at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, the plan defines security relations with the Israeli side, according to Al-Khaleej Al-Jadeed news website. The meeting was chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

On 6 December US President Donald Trump announced that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, a step that has sparked criticism by many Arab, Muslim, and Western states all over the world.