© AP/Brynjar Gauti
On Tuesday, the council passed a measure to boycott Israeli imports in solidarity with Palestine.
Now Mr. Eggertsson says the proposal will be amended to specify that Iceland will only boycott goods produced in "occupied areas," the Iceland Monitor reported.
Council members originally claimed the boycott was a symbolic act demonstrating Iceland's support for Palestinian statehood and condemnation of Israel's "policy of apartheid."
The proposal prompted harsh criticism from Israel's Foreign Ministry, which condemned the move saying, "a volcano of hatred spews forth from the Reykjavik city council building."
On Thursday, Iceland's Foreign Ministry distanced itself the decision, saying the move was "not in line" with the country's foreign policy, the Times of Israel reported.
On Saturday, Mr. Eggertsson admitted that the motion hadn't been prepared well enough and that it will now be clarified.
"I have stated that it should have been made much clearer in the text [that only products from territories occupied by Israel should be boycotted], although that's what we had in mind. I will suggest to the City Council that the motion the way it reads now be withdrawn while we discuss the next steps and how to present it," the mayor said, Iceland Review reported.
The mayor will discuss the matter further in a meeting with the City Council on Thursday.
That hardly makes any sense. The guilty party is the Israeli government, not a specific area. Boycotting products from only some parts of Israel is actually rather ridiculous. From the perspective of Palestinians, there's no difference between Israeli products from the occupied areas and from other areas. Either way you're creating profits for the state of Israel.