Members of the Arab League Boycott Committee that met on Monday in Syria decided to renew the boycott against Israel. However, the resolution has no practical application as the committee has no jurisdiction to compel the Arab states to act. Considering the noted absence of the Egyptian and Jordanian delegations, the decision was made “just to please the Syrians and not as a serious indication of a collective Arab will in this respect,” according to an anonymous Syrian diplomat.
A similar Syrian proposal of a renewed Arab economic boycott of Israel and a Syrian-Lebanese initiative to suspend all high-level political contacts with Israel were both overruled by the Palestinians, in conjunction with the Egyptians and the Jordanians, at a meeting of the Arab Summit Follow-up Committee meeting in Cairo two weeks ago.
A similar Syrian proposal of a renewed Arab economic boycott of Israel and a Syrian-Lebanese initiative to suspend all high-level political contacts with Israel were both overruled by the Palestinians, in conjunction with the Egyptians and the Jordanians, at a meeting of the Arab Summit Follow-up Committee meeting in Cairo two weeks ago.