The European Federation of Public Services Unions, representing 8 million workers, passed a resolution calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement because of the repeated breach of its human rights provisions.

Six of the eleven invited speakers have confirmed their withdrawal from a physics workshop at Ariel University, which is built on occupied Palestinian land in an illegal Israeli settlement. Palestinian academics urge remaining speakers to withdraw from the workshop.

Around 200 leading legal experts have signed a statement defending the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS) as a lawful exercise of freedom of expression.

Steps by European companies and governments to restrict business with West Bank settlements are rekindling longstanding fears in Israel of a broader economic boycott over its treatment of the Palestinians.

After facing criticism from activist groups in the Netherlands, Vitens, the Dutch drinking-water company, said this week that it was cutting ties with Mekorot, Israel’s national water company, because it had business in the occupied West Bank.

Separately, UK Trade & Investment, the business promotion body, published guidance last week warning companies of the risks of doing business wi