Pakistan boycotts companies linked to Israel because of Gaza war

The Pakistani government on Saturday formed a committee to identify and boycott companies linked to supporting Israel’s ongoing war against Gaza.

Pakistani Prime Minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah told reporters that companies and products that “could directly or indirectly benefit Israel or the armed forces” would be boycotted.

The move came after an agreement was reached between the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) political party and the government after the TLP held a rally and sit-in in support of the Gaza Strip near the capital Islamabad on Friday.

The agreement also requires the government to provide further humanitarian assistance to the people of the Gaza Strip.

The adviser said the party and the government had agreed to supply Gaza with 1,000 tons of aid, including food and medicine.

Pakistan has long maintained a pro-Palestinian stance and supports an independent Palestinian state. It refuses to recognize Israel and bans its passport holders from entering the Asian state.

The country also called on the world to classify Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a terrorist; the Palestinian Hamas welcomed this declaration.

The agreement states that Netanyahu is responsible for the “atrocities committed by Israeli forces in Palestine,” adding that the country already considers him a terrorist.

Sanaullah said, “Pakistan will use all possible means to help the Palestinians and condemn Israel as a terrorist country,” while calling on the world, including Muslim nations, to hold the minister accountable and bring him to justice.

According to Hamas, the announcement was not only an expression of Pakistan’s “historic” stance towards Palestine, but also a step towards supporting those who are “subjected to genocide and ethnic cleansing by Zionist terrorists”.

Pakistan also announced that it was ready to bring injured Palestinians to the state once the Palestinian Authority organizes their treatment.

Since then, Israel’s war against Gaza has killed more than 38,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children.