By Naomi Firsht
1 min read
The National Union of Students has passed a motion to boycott Israeli companies and to affiliate to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The proposal was passed with 19 votes for, 14 against and one abstention on Tuesday at a meeting of the NUS National Executive Council, which is made up of elected NUS representatives.
Motion 518a, titled Solidarity with Palestine: Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions, was put forward by the School of Oriental and African Studies students union in London.
It was an amendment to a Justice for Palestine motion condemning Israel for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank, which passed with 19 votes for, 12 against and three abstentions.
The votes which were conducted by secret ballot, were two of a number originally due to be held at the NUS national conference in April, but were postponed until the NEC due to a shortage of debating time.
In response to the vote the Union of Jewish Students have accused the NEC of "playing at politics" and undermining interfaith work, saying in a statement: “Once again, the NUS NEC have passed a policy supporting the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement. This is the second time in under a year that this debate has been had. The motion passed with 19 votes for, 14 against and one abstention after a heated debate.
"Earlier this year, NUS conference rejected the call to debate BDS on conference floor this year, and yet NEC is still debating it. At what point will the NEC connect with students on campus, instead of playing at politics?
"J-Socs have been perceived to be incompatible with BDS policies; Israeli individuals and academics have been blocked from delivering lectures on nothing to do with Israel or Palestine. Just look at Durban University of Technology, where they called for the expulsion of Jewish students 'especially those who do not support the Palestinian struggle'. Those in support of the BDS movement want the public to believe they don’t target individuals. Their actions and language regularly prove themselves as toxic forces on our campus and in our society.
"This year, Jewish students collected over 2000 signatures from more than 10 campuses in support of a two state solution and against BDS. But, it seems that this loud voice is not enough. NUS NEC continues to ignore this critical mass and blindly dismiss Jewish students’ experiences.
"This motion passing divides student groups, undermines interfaith relations and suffocates progressive voices for peace on both sides. It is disturbing that supposed representatives of students throughout the UK have joined a movement that at the core is not progressive or constructive in supporting two states for two peoples. “
An NEC emergency motion declaring solidarity with Jewish students against anti-Jewish protests, such as the one planned in Golders Green next month, was passed unanimously.
