A pro-boycott motion has been roundly defeated at the union’s annual Delegate Meeting today. It had called on members to back all forms of BDS.
The London Magazine branch calls on the meeting to instruct the union’s National Executive Council to “encourage members to boycott Israeli products and back lecturers and other professionals who refuse to co-operate with Israeli institutions” and to “write to the BDS movement declaring the union’s support for the campaign”.
Ed Miliband spoke out against the proposed boycott during his recent visit to Israel:
“Don’t vote for a boycott,” was his message to delegates. “My general position is against boycotts. Anyone looking also at the sensitive stage we’ve reached in the negotiations would even additionally to that general principle would realise it’s so not the solution. You’re in a very sensitive moment when you’re wanting to encourage both sides not to try to isolate one or the other.”
Here’s a brief report of the debate:
One good argument against the motion was the fact that Palestinian colleagues don’t support it. (Presumably they do support this campaign.)
One bad argument in favour was that Israel is ‘the biggest bully in the world’.
