The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which campaigns for a boycott of all Israeli goods and questions Israel’s legitimacy, condemned Britain’s new rules. According to The Sunday Times, the move “follows mounting concern among Jewish leaders about anti-Semitism”.
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“Town hall boycotts undermine good community relations, poisoning and polarising debate, weakening integration and fuelling anti-Semitism”, it argued, warning that institutions that persisted with these boycotts would face “severe penalties”.
The new guidance will apply to all public bodies, including central government and the NHS as well as quangos and councils.
The Paris Council action firmly opposes “all attempts to isolate Israel among the nations” and condemn efforts, including public demonstrations in Paris, advocating for boycotting Israel.
“This attack on local democracy is the latest in a sustained assault on our democratic rights and freedoms, following the Lobbying Act, Trade Union Bill, Prevent and much else”. They can damage integration and community cohesion within the United Kingdom, hinder Britain’s export trade, and harm foreign relations to the detriment of Britain’s economic and worldwide security.
Ben, a member of the Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign who did not provide his full name, said the effect of the conservative government’s new regulations will be “very far-reaching”.
Labour has a long-standing policy of opposition to boycotts but Jeremy Corbyn has previously expressed support for action targeting settlement goods and arms sales.
Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock, who will visit Israel this week, will say such boycotts need to be challenged.
Mr Hancock is making the announcement in Israel, which has often been the subject of boycotts in the past.
“They will restrict the ability of local councils, for example, to make their own decisions about investments and procurement on ethical grounds”, Ben told Al Jazeera, calling the ban “an attack on local democracy”.
“We welcome the decision taken by the British authorities not to allow anti-Israeli initiatives at local level”, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
The potentially far-reaching limits to council powers regarding investments and procurement have been criticised by Amnesty International, elected councillors, local government experts and the Labour Party.
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The section lays out a policy statement regarding American trade with Israel, sets out a negotiating objective of discouraging and eliminating boycotts of Israel, requires the executive branch to report annually on BDS activities here and overseas, and prevents US courts from enforcing judgments based on other countries’ BDS laws.
