U.K.'s Anti-Israel Boycotters Prefer A
Single-State Solution June 15 2007
Source: Haaretz
Single-State Solution June 15 2007
Source: Haaretz
Britain's University and College Union's decision to promote a boycott against Israel two weeks ago
did not just materialize out of thin air. In recent years, the U.K. has seen a multitude of organizations
devoted to protesting Israel's presence in the territories, and the mass anti-Israeli rally last weekend in
the center of London attracted thousands of participants.
One of these groups, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, opened a stand at the rally, calling for
protesters to disrupt Israel's soccer match against England scheduled for Wembley Stadium on
September 8. Next week, pro-Palestinian activists plan to call for a boycott against Israeli produce at
a conference held by UNISON, Britain's biggest trade union.
Another organization, the Islamic Council for Human Rights, handed out flyers listing international
corporations with branches in Israel, such as McDonald's and Calvin Klein.
Activists from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign handed out flyers calling for the British government to
cease its weapons deals with Israel, under the banner "Palestinian blood on British hands."
The anti-Israeli front in Britain is made up of dozens of nongovernmental organizations including
Islamic movements, radical left associations, workers unions, Israeli and Jewish panels, Christian
organizations and human rights committees, operating various charity funds.
The activists at these groups may differ on issues such as religion and gender equality, but they are
united in their perception of Israel as an apartheid state. They all advocate boycotting Israel and
believe in diverting funds from it.
The organizations subscribe to the belief that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved in the
form of a single-state solution, and granting the Palestinian refugees the right of return. In the past year,
this group of organizations has boasted several important accomplishments, first and foremost the
UCU resolution.
"We're on a roll. We're now receiving increasing sympathy for the Palestinian cause," Sue Blackwell
told Haaretz Tuesday. Blackwell is a veteran activist who has been promoting boycotts against Israel
for years at Birmingham University, where she works as an English lecturer. During the UCU's
meeting in Bournemouth, she wore a T-shirt reading "Caterkiller," in protest against the company
Caterpillar, which sells bulldozers to the Israeli Defense Forces.
In the meeting, Blackwell argued that the European Union must sever all its ties with Israeli academic
institutions. Her motion was passed with a large majority.
"In 2003, when we first called for the Association of University Teachers [the AUT, which merged
with the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education to form the UCU] to
boycott Israel, only one-third of the members voted in favor. Union regulations prevented us from
readdressing the issue in 2004, but we did in 2005, and then the motion was accepted," she says.
That motion was later overturned in a special AUT meeting, until the UCU voted in favor of it last
month. It passed 158 to 99.
Blackwell describes herself as a pro-Palestinian lobbyist. She attributes the campaign's recent success
to her cross-country activities. "The Palestine Solidarity Campaign invites me to speak at its
conferences. I also attend other conferences of workers unions," she says.
Blackwell is also a member of the British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), the
lobby for cooperation to support Palestinian universities, staff and students. The organization is headed
by Hillary and Steven Rose, who started the boycott initiative five years ago with a letter to the
Guardian daily newspaper.
Other organizations target Israelis and Jews. "We tried working with the Israeli public in the past, but
we did not manage to make any headway there," says Jeff Halper, who heads the Israeli Committee
Against House Demolitions in the U.K.
"The Israelis as a whole believe there is no partner on the Palestinian side, and are thereby making
themselves politically irrelevant. This is why we've had to address the civil society, represented by
human rights groups, churches, universities and other organizations to warn against the Israeli
apartheid regime," he says.
"The recent success we have experienced in the field is serving to unite different left-wing
organizations. Our activity will culminate in May 2008, as Israel celebrates its 60th birthday."
did not just materialize out of thin air. In recent years, the U.K. has seen a multitude of organizations
devoted to protesting Israel's presence in the territories, and the mass anti-Israeli rally last weekend in
the center of London attracted thousands of participants.
One of these groups, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, opened a stand at the rally, calling for
protesters to disrupt Israel's soccer match against England scheduled for Wembley Stadium on
September 8. Next week, pro-Palestinian activists plan to call for a boycott against Israeli produce at
a conference held by UNISON, Britain's biggest trade union.
Another organization, the Islamic Council for Human Rights, handed out flyers listing international
corporations with branches in Israel, such as McDonald's and Calvin Klein.
Activists from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign handed out flyers calling for the British government to
cease its weapons deals with Israel, under the banner "Palestinian blood on British hands."
The anti-Israeli front in Britain is made up of dozens of nongovernmental organizations including
Islamic movements, radical left associations, workers unions, Israeli and Jewish panels, Christian
organizations and human rights committees, operating various charity funds.
The activists at these groups may differ on issues such as religion and gender equality, but they are
united in their perception of Israel as an apartheid state. They all advocate boycotting Israel and
believe in diverting funds from it.
The organizations subscribe to the belief that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved in the
form of a single-state solution, and granting the Palestinian refugees the right of return. In the past year,
this group of organizations has boasted several important accomplishments, first and foremost the
UCU resolution.
"We're on a roll. We're now receiving increasing sympathy for the Palestinian cause," Sue Blackwell
told Haaretz Tuesday. Blackwell is a veteran activist who has been promoting boycotts against Israel
for years at Birmingham University, where she works as an English lecturer. During the UCU's
meeting in Bournemouth, she wore a T-shirt reading "Caterkiller," in protest against the company
Caterpillar, which sells bulldozers to the Israeli Defense Forces.
In the meeting, Blackwell argued that the European Union must sever all its ties with Israeli academic
institutions. Her motion was passed with a large majority.
"In 2003, when we first called for the Association of University Teachers [the AUT, which merged
with the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education to form the UCU] to
boycott Israel, only one-third of the members voted in favor. Union regulations prevented us from
readdressing the issue in 2004, but we did in 2005, and then the motion was accepted," she says.
That motion was later overturned in a special AUT meeting, until the UCU voted in favor of it last
month. It passed 158 to 99.
Blackwell describes herself as a pro-Palestinian lobbyist. She attributes the campaign's recent success
to her cross-country activities. "The Palestine Solidarity Campaign invites me to speak at its
conferences. I also attend other conferences of workers unions," she says.
Blackwell is also a member of the British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), the
lobby for cooperation to support Palestinian universities, staff and students. The organization is headed
by Hillary and Steven Rose, who started the boycott initiative five years ago with a letter to the
Guardian daily newspaper.
Other organizations target Israelis and Jews. "We tried working with the Israeli public in the past, but
we did not manage to make any headway there," says Jeff Halper, who heads the Israeli Committee
Against House Demolitions in the U.K.
"The Israelis as a whole believe there is no partner on the Palestinian side, and are thereby making
themselves politically irrelevant. This is why we've had to address the civil society, represented by
human rights groups, churches, universities and other organizations to warn against the Israeli
apartheid regime," he says.
"The recent success we have experienced in the field is serving to unite different left-wing
organizations. Our activity will culminate in May 2008, as Israel celebrates its 60th birthday."