Majority seek end to Israel weapons sales: Survey spanning three continents

EXCLUSIVE

As Israel’s genocide successful Gaza continues, a canvass successful 5 nations reveals beardown enactment for the backstage assemblage and governments to instrumentality action.

A bulk of radical successful 5 nations – Brazil, Colombia, Greece, South Africa and Spain – judge that weapons companies should halt oregon trim commercialized with Israel arsenic its onslaught connected Gaza continues, a canvass released connected Thursday reveals.

Spain showed the highest enactment for weapons deals to beryllium halted, with 58 percent of respondents saying they should halt completely, followed by Greece astatine 57 percent and Colombia astatine 52 percent. In Brazil, 37 percent of respondents believed arms companies should wholly halt income to Israel, portion 22 percent believed they should beryllium reduced. In South Africa, those levels stood astatine 46 and 20 percent, respectively.

Commissioned by the Global Energy Embargo for Palestine network, endorsed by the left-wing Progressive International organisation, and fielded by the Pollfish level past month, the survey comes successful the aftermath of a telephone by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations peculiar rapporteur connected the occupied Palestinian territory, connected countries to slash fiscal relations with Israel arsenic she decried an “economy of genocide“.

“The radical person spoken, and they garbage to beryllium complicit. Across continents, mean citizens request an extremity to the substance that powers settler colonialism, apartheid and genocide,” said Ana Sanchez, a campaigner for Global Energy Embargo for Palestine.

“No authorities that claims to uphold ideology tin warrant maintaining energy, military, oregon economical ties with Israel portion it commits a genocide successful Palestine. This is not conscionable astir trade; it’s astir people’s powerfulness to chopped the proviso lines of oppression.”

The radical said it chose the survey locations due to the fact that of the countries’ nonstop engagement successful the import and transport of vigor to Israel.

More than 1,000 respondents successful each federation were asked astir governmental and backstage assemblage relations with Israel to measurement nationalist attitudes connected responsibility.

Condemnation of Israel’s enactment successful Gaza arsenic the humanitarian situation escalates was the highest successful Greece and Spain and lowest successful Brazil.

Sixty-one percent and 60 percent successful Greece and Spain respectively opposed Israel’s existent “military actions” successful Gaza, portion successful Colombia, 50 percent opposed them. In Brazil and South Africa, 30 percent were against Israel’s war, portion 33 percent and 20 percent, respectively, supported the campaign.

A protester holds a motion during a objection demanding an contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza successful Bogota, Colombia, connected January 27, 2024 [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

To date, Israel’s genocide successful Gaza has killed much than 60,000 radical – astir of them women and children. Now location to the highest fig of kid amputees per capita, overmuch of the besieged Strip is successful a authorities of ruin arsenic the colonisation starves. As the situation worsens, arms dealers and companies that facilitate their deals are facing heightened scrutiny.

In June, arsenic reported by Al Jazeera, Maersk divested from companies linked to Israeli settlements, which are considered amerciable nether planetary law, pursuing a run accusing the Danish shipping elephantine of links to Israel’s subject and concern of Palestinian land.

On Tuesday, Norway announced that it would reappraisal its sovereign wealthiness fund’s investments successful Israel, aft it was revealed that it had a involvement successful an Israeli steadfast that supplies combatant pitchy parts to the Israeli military. In caller months, respective wealthiness and pension funds person distanced themselves from companies linked to Israel’s warfare connected Gaza oregon its amerciable concern of the West Bank.

Responding to the poll, 41 percent successful Spain said they would “strongly” enactment a state-level determination to trim commercialized successful weapons, substance and different goods successful an effort to unit Israel into stopping the war. This fig stood astatine 33 percent successful Colombia and South Africa, and 28 and 24 percent successful Greece and Brazil, respectively.

“The connection from the peoples of the satellite is large and clear: They privation enactment to extremity the battle connected Gaza – not conscionable words,” said David Adler, co-general coordinator of Progressive International. “Across continents, majorities are calling for their governments to halt arms income and restrain Israel’s occupation.”