Amsterdam - A pro-Palestinian group in the Netherlands on Wednesday called for a boycott of Israeli products being sold by Albert Heijn, the largest Dutch supermarket chain. "We want to raise public awareness about the plight of the Palestinians, the security barrier and the settlements," Palestine Committee PKN chairman Wim Lankamp told the German Press Agency dpa.
Lankamp said the action marks the beginning of Peace Week, due to start on September 24 and also follows the July 2005 Civil Society Call - an initiative by various Palestinian organizations - for a global boycott of Israeli products.
"The Dutch government has not undertaken anything for the Palestinians since," he said.
Meanwhile, Albert Heijn spokeswoman Klaartje Kluiter said: "We carry products of any country unless the Dutch government has issued a boycott."
She added that the supermarket consistently lists the origin of all its products on packaging, "ensuring our customers can always make a conscious choice."
Albert Heijn, part of the food multinational Ahold, has a market share of more than 30 per cent in the Netherlands. The Israeli products it stocks includes several fruits, vegetables and soy products.
"Israel is one of many countries, including Lebanon and Egypt, with whom the European Union (EU) has signed an Association Agreement," said Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Annelou van Egmond.
This special trade agreement enables the import of products into the EU against reduced import duty and value added tax rates, she said.
The spokeswoman emphasized that under the terms of the agreement, Israel is allowed to import only products from Israel proper - originating from its territory within 1967 borders - into the EU.
