18/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - No boycott from EU. On 17 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton announced that the EU is opposed to the boycott of Israeli companies and businesspeople. “We do not want to see Israel isolated”, she said at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council, during which a discussion was held on the Middle East peace process. Ashton nevertheless reiterated that the EU is opposed to the settlements and that the bilateral agreements between the EU and Israel do not apply to the settlements. On 12 March, UK Prime Minister David Cameron stated in Israel that his country is opposed to the boycott of Israel, although an international campaign for an economic and cultural boycott of Israel due to the occupation of the Palestinian territories is gaining ground. Around 20 Belgian organisations launched the Made in Illegality campaign on 27 February, calling for a halt to economic, trade and financial relations between the EU and the Israeli settlements (see EUROPE 11029). (CG)