Israeli public transport company Egged has won the public tender to operate a regional bus service in the region of Waterland – just north of Amsterdam – from the end of this year.

Newspaper Trouw writes that local action groups regard the situation as indirect Dutch support for Israel’s settlements policy in the West Bank.

Egged is Israel’s main bus company which also operates an Israeli passengers-only bus service to the settlements in Palestinian territory.

The Dutch action group 'Working Together for Palestine’ says Egged clearly supports Israel’s controversial settlements policy. One of the activists says in Trouw that “ Egged makes money from trampling on the rights of Palestinians.”

The action group would prefer to call for a boycott against Egged’s bus service in the Netherlands, but will refrain from such a move because there is no alternative bus service in Waterland.

EBS, Egged’s Dutch subsidiary says it is not involved in politics. The company has Dutch drivers on its payroll. The drivers working for the current regional transport company will join EBS at the end of the year. However, an official of the FNV trade union federation said some of the drivers are afraid the busses will become the target of terrorist attacks.

(gsh)

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide