OSLO, May 13, 2017 (WAFA) – The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), representing close to one million workers, endorsed on Friday a full boycott of Israel to achieve Palestinian rights under international law, according to a statement. LO is the largest and most influential umbrella organization of labor s in Norway.

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee (BNC) welcomed the LO decision.

Riya Hassan, the Europe campaigns coordinator with the BNC described the LO’s endorsing of a full “international economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel” as “a necessary means to achieve Palestinian fundamental rights, including the right of return for the refugees and equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel.”

The BNC said it hopes to closely coordinate with Norwegian partners within LO, particularly Fagforbundet, to translate this new policy into effective measures of accountability at the academic, cultural and economic levels to uphold human rights and international law.

“We also call on LO to apply pressure on the Norwegian government to end all its military ties with Israel’s regime of oppression and to divest its sovereign fund from all companies that are complicit in Israel’s occupation and illegal settlement enterprise,” it said.

With this step, LO joins some of the world’s most important trade federations, including South Africa’s COSATU, Brazil’s CUT, Quebec’s CSN and the Irish ICTU, “in calling for meaningful BDS pressure on the corporations and institutions that have enabled decades of Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid,” said the BNC in its statement.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

M.K.