Britain’s Largest Student Union Passes Motion to Boycott Israel

A student union in the United Kingdom representing millions of university students has passed a resolution to affiliate with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

The United Kingdom’s National Union of Students (NUS), which represents millions of students at universities across that country and is the largest British association of its kind, on Tuesday passed a resolution to affiliate with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

The resolution proposed by Canterbury Christ Church Students’ Union, Motion 518, titled “Solidarity with Palestine: Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions,” passed the NUS National Executive Council with 19 votes in favor, four against, and one abstention, London’s Jewish Chronicle reported.

The students’ union of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London also passed an amendment to a Justice for Palestine motion that condemned Israel for its actions in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the vote had “little practical implications, since this body has already voiced anti-Israel opinions in the past.”

“Instead of expressing hatred, British students would benefit from studying history and understanding that the distance between conveying hate language and prejudice to committing despicable crimes is not that great,” Nahshon added.

According to the Ynet english-language website, Britain’s Union of Jewish Students (UJS) slammed the decision, saying the motion “divides student groups, undermines interfaith relations and suffocates progressive voices for peace on both sides.”

“It is disturbing that supposed representatives of students throughout the UK have joined a movement that at the core is not progressive or constructive in supporting two states for two peoples,” the UJS added.

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked, “They are boycotting Israel, but not ISIS. This says a lot about the BDS movement.”

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman called said the decision was hypocritical “and gives in to the diktats of radical Islam.”

“I would expect students with intellectual integrity to act first and foremost against John the Jihadist and the rest of the British citizens fighting with ISIS and those who continue recruit young Brits to terror organizations on British soil. Israel is a more democratic and more enlightened country than all of those hypocritical students,” Lieberman said.

Deputy UK Ambassador to Israel Dr. Rob Dixon, speaking to Israel’s Galei Tzahal radio program, said the British government opposes the vote to boycott Israel. He quoted Prime Minister David Cameron as saying Britain will not allow boycott efforts to erase 60 years of partnership.

By: JNS.org and United with Israel staff.