Saturday, April 10, 2010

Belgian Bank Financing Illegal Settlements


By David Cronin

"BRUSSELS, Apr 10, 2010 (IPS) - Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is continuing to finance Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territories almost a year after it indicated that it would cease providing loans to illegal settlements.

In May 2009, Dexia promised that it would not lend any fresh money to councils representing Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Although Palestinian solidarity activists regarded the announcement as a victory for a campaign they had fought against Dexia, they are not satisfied that all the bank's transactions with Israeli settlements have been halted.

Intal, a human rights group in Brussels, says it will protest at Dexia's annual shareholders' meeting next month, because many of the earlier loans issued to Israeli settlements run until 2017 and are unaffected by last year's pledge......"

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