Last week I helped organise a vigil on campus to mark a year since Israel’s attack on Gaza. This time last year the brutality of the Israeli government caught the attention of people around the world, and Sussex students were part of a wave of protest which swept campuses across the UK, in solidarity with our colleagues in Palestine.

One year on, Gaza is still under siege. The Israeli government, with the help of corrupt neighbouring states, continues to prevent vital supplies from reaching the area, and is now building a new wall along the border with Egypt to further inhibit the Palestinian people’s access to essential goods. Only last week an aid convoy from Britain was stopped by Egyptian riot police, and beaten back with levels of violence that left dozens of activists injured.

It is therefore just as important today as it was a year ago that we show solidarity with the people of Palestine. The decision to boycott Israeli goods is a fantastic example of how this can be done. It is not just about the economic impact, it is about reminding the Israeli government that it is being watched by people all over the world, and to send the message that a state which behaves as Israel does has no place in the so-called ‘international community’.

The boycott is a tactic which can help the Palestinian cause on an ongoing basis – over the coming year the students’ union will be publicising the boycott as widely as possible and making the argument for other students’ unions and all kinds of organisations to join us. The people of Palestine are still suffering but the pressure on Israel to end the occupation is also, slowly but surely, ratcheting up, and I’m incredibly proud that the student body at Sussex is playing a part in that.

See the Al-Jazeera report of the Sussex vigil in Arabic or in a dodgy English translation.