Prominent UK legal expert James Crawford, Whewell Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge has released a 60-page opinion paper to European Union member nations expressing his expert opinion providing legal backing for the economic boycott of good manufactured in yishuvim, the UK Independent reported.

Crawford explains that those EU nations taking part in the boycott are within their legal right based on the EU-Israel Association Agreement and further supports the boycott by explaining it in no way violates the World Trade Organization agreements since the yishuvim, areas referred to by the international community as the “West Bank” are not considered part of the State of Israel.

The Presbyterian General Assembly last week voted in favor of the boycott, which includes all goods grown and manufactured in yishuvim. A request to divest holdings in Israel was defeated however but there was a statement included that gives pension holders to exclude themselves from investments in the Caterpillar, Motorola, and Hewlett Packard companies, which do engage in business with settlements. A vote regarding the “choice of conscience” is scheduled for the 2014 General Assembly.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)