Boycott Israel?

First of all, I want to state my commitment to winning Palestinian self-determination, and freedom from occupation and genocide. It is something I myself am active on. My reasoning for opposing this part of the motion boils down to a question of tactics — how do we best achieve that. I think it’s important to break down the tactics of the BDS movement, and to think seriously about which we want to adopt in the Green Party. There are elements of BDS that we should obviously support: sanctions on arms sale being a key one. But others — such as a wholesale consumer boycott or a refusal to work...

In spits and spats, BDS, once a policy special for Israel, has moved into being seen as a general answer to war and repression. The 28 March Green Party in England & Wales (GPEW) Spring Conference had motions submitted that called for BDS-like campaigns against the US (for its policies in Venezuela) and against all countries involved in continuing the Sudanese civil war. Workers’ Liberty has long campaigned against Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) on Israel as a meaningful or effective tactic to achieve Palestinian self-determination. It has proved ineffective in achieving even steps...

Ofer Cassif is a brave and principled man. He is a member of the Communist Party of Israel and part of Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

Bristol Friends of Standing Together held a successful public meeting on 9 January with two Standing Together activists, Itamar Avneri and Amal Ghawi, speaking. Standing Together is the largest grassroots Jewish-Arab movement in Israel, calling for a ceasefire, a hostage-deal, an end to the occupation, and peace in the region. But Bristol Palestine Alliance (BPA) had called for a boycott of the meeting on social media saying “‘Stand Together’ [sic] is on the BDS boycott list!! They are a zionist organisation. Do not engage with them, do not attend this meeting.” This was followed by the...

Iranian comrades demand the closure of the Iranian embassy in London. Belarusian friends demand their country is kicked out of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a forum of governments and of employers’ and workers’ organisations from 187 countries. Ukrainians demand more Western sanctions on Russia. Pro-Palestinian protesters demand we boycott Starbucks, cut links with Israeli businesses and end cultural and academic ties with Israelis. Stop this, end that, break connections... Often unclear is exactly what these activists positively want and how that is connected to their boycott...

A new open letter signed by 2,000 Israeli citizens, some living in Israel, others abroad, calls for intensified international pressure on Israel. The letter’s authors are undoubtedly motivated by values Solidarity shares, and signatories include many veterans of Israeli leftist and peace movements. But rather than posing specific demands for targeted forms of pressure against the infrastructure of the Israeli war machine, the letter seems to posit such measures as ending “all scientific and cultural collaboration” as the way forward, whilst dismissing any possibility for transformative change...

It’s time for my annual performance review. My line manager sits me down to discuss my hopes and dreams for the next twelve months. They don’t involve hitting “mystery shopper” targets, but I just go with the flow. At the end I’m asked if I have any personal objectives. Feeling cheeky I suggest starting a workplace bulletin. “Great idea!” she says, although I imagine my concept is quite different to hers. So I now have management approval to spread propaganda through the workplace. I’d better get some articles together. I’m having a chat with K in the control room. I wonder if he’s seen the...

The college lecturers’ union UCU meets on 29-31 May against a background of acute cuts in higher education (HE) and continuing underfunding of further education (FE). On 17 May a UCU special HE sector conference discussed job cuts — over sixty universities are affected. At Sheffield Hallam, where the UCU branch has recently voted to take industrial action, 400 job cuts are threatened. That conference resolved to build up organisational infrastructure, to run political campaigns for free education and the abolition of tuition fees, and to defend creative arts, modern languages, arts and...

Since Israel's brutal invasion of Gaza, calls for international boycotts of various aspects of Israeli society have gained prominence. Workers’ Liberty condemns and opposes Israel's invasion of Gaza, and its occupation of the Palestinian territories. We believe solidarity with the Palestinians should be the left’s starting point on the question of Israel/Palestine. We also believe that the proposal to boycott the entire nation of Israel is, at best, a distraction from more important solidarity work; and is, at worst, reactionary and counter to building an effective movement of solidarity with...

Some of the student protest encampments, and the opening of the Eurovision song contest (7-11 May), have stirred new demands to “boycott Israel” and “BDS”. Solidarity backs the Palestinians and their claim to an independent state alongside Israel and to equal rights. We oppose boycott. We argue instead for solidarity and links with working-class and democratic forces within Israel and in the Palestinian territories. • We support the Palestinian-Jewish anti-war movement in Israel, Standing Together. “BDS” campaigners oppose it, thus harming the anti-war effort. • With “BDS” unions here have...