Become a Member
News

Flag feud at Board meeting as members discuss combating BDS

September 18, 2016 13:05
The Bridges not Boycotts logo

By

Daniel Sugarman,

Daniel Sugarman

2 min read

The Board of Deputies meeting on Sunday was the setting for a civil but spirited debate on the nature of the “Bridges not Boycotts” campus campaign to combat BDS.

The campaign, which is due to launch when universities start up again in the coming weeks, features both an Israeli and a Palestinian flag in its symbol. The presence of the latter was the main subject of contention at the central London meeting.

Gerald Fox, deputy for Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue, said: “We’re talking about bridging, not boycotting. If you can’t respect the other, how can you expect the other to respect you?

We’re not talking about Hamas, we’re talking about ordinary people like you and me. And if they’ve got a flag that they see as something representing their ideals and their struggle, you must give respect to it. Without that, you cannot expect Palestinians to respect Israel or the Israeli flag.”