University of Lancaster Students Reject Motion to Boycott Israeli Products

The majority of the student body at the University of Lancaster in England demonstrated their indifference to anti-Israel activists who tried to harm the Jewish State.

A motion to boycott Israeli companies has been defeated at the University of Lancaster, with mostly abstentions, the UK’s Jewish News reported Tuesday.

The vote to boycott a group of Israeli companies failed with 752 votes in favor, 545 against and 787 abstaining, meaning the motion failed to pass.

Israeli companies targeted in the motion included Medjoul dates, Ahava Dead Sea products, Soda Stream, Eden Springs, Israeli Wines, Hewlett Packard, Caterpillar, Volvo, Hyundai and G4S.

Russell Langer, Campaigns Director at the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) said they were “pleased to hear” that students rejected “an attempt to introduce a BDS policy.” He was referring to the anti-Israel Boycott, Sanctions and Divest (BDS) movement.

“Like other campuses in the UK, the low voter turnout, as well as the high number of abstentions, show that students do not feel that their students’ union should be taking this divisive and ineffective stance on the conflict, instead encouraging dialogue, debate, and education around the issue,” Langer pointed out.

He added that despite the small size of Lancaster’s Jewish Society, its members were still able to “stand up strongly against negative boycott tactics promoted in their union. UJS will continue to work with Lancaster J-Soc in creating dialogue and promoting peace on their campus.”

Lancaster U’s website claimed that the high number of abstentions “is a clear indication that a significant section of our membership felt unable to make a judgment on this issue.”

A spokesperson from the Lancaster Jewish Society told the Jewish News: “We are very relieved BDS was not passed in our students Union.”

University campuses have become a hotbed for anti-Israel activity, with several students bodies introducing anti-Israel and pro-boycotts resolutions. In most cases, the resolutions are declarative and non-binding for the universities themselves.

A recent the Anti Defamation League (ADL) report shows that there has been a 30% increase in anti-Israel activity and anti-Semitic activities on US campuses over the course of the 2014-2015 academic.

By: United with Israel Staff