Opinion Editorials, February 2016

Share this article with your facebook friends

Diluted UK Government Position on 'Israel Boycott Ban' Follows Public Outrage Over its Attack on Democracy

Palestinian BDS National Committee

Palestinians: Israel boycott ban similar to Thatcher’s support for apartheid

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Palestinian BDS National Committee

The Palestinian organisation that leads the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement currently under attack by new British government rules says that Prime Minister David Cameron is making a grave mistake similar to Margaret Thatcher’s unwavering support of apartheid South Africa. 

New rules set to be announced during a visit to Israel this week by Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock will make it harder for local councils and other public bodies including universities to make ethical procurement or investment decisions. The government says the changes are designed counter the growing BDS movement.

Rafeef Ziadah, a UK spokesperson for the Palestinian BDS National Committee, says:

“Rather than working to hold Israel to account for its ongoing human rights violations, UK ministers continue the arms trade with Israel  and attack local democracy in order to shield it from any criticism.”

“What sort of message does this send to UK companies like G4S and JCB that aid and abet Israel’s violations of international law?”

Security company G4S helps Israel run prisons where Palestinians are tortured and JCB supplies bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes.

“By undermining local  democracy in service of Israel, David Cameron is standing on the wrong side of history just as Margaret Thatcher did with her support for apartheid South Africa.”

David Cameron himself crossed the South African boycott picket line as late as 1989, when international public opinion had already shifted in favor of democracy, by taking an all-expenses paid trip to South Africa to build the case against sanctions of the racist regime. International isolation was crucial in bringing down apartheid in South Africa.

Ziadah continued:

“The BDS movement in the UK has achieved wide support precisely because of the failure of successive UK governments to take action in response to Israel’s war crimes.”

“Far from thwarting the growing public support for the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality, these measures simply shine a spotlight on the UK’s deepening support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and underline the need for solidarity campaigning.”

French multinational Veolia ended its role in illegal Israeli settlements after local councils in the UK and beyond dropped it from contracts worth more than £10bn.

Councils in Tower Hamlets, Leicester, Swansea and Bristol are among those that have passed resolutions in support of BDS or condemning companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements.

The potentially far-reaching limits to council powers regarding investments and procurement have been criticised by Amnesty International, elected councillors, local government experts and the Labour Party.

A coalition of campaign groups – including climate campaigners who are working with local councils that have divested from fossil fuel companies – are campaigning against the moves to restrict the ability of local councils to make ethical investment decisions.

Campaigners have cast doubt on the idea that the new rules could impact student unions, which are registered charities and not bound by the same legal frameworks as local councils and universities.

In addition to ministers hindering the work of public bodies in support of Palestine, the government’s Prevent Framework  appears to have identified legitimate discussions of Palestine as a marker of potential “extremism” and a schoolboy has been questioned by anti-terrorism police because he wore a “Free Palestine” badge to school.

Ziadah added:

“This assault on basic free speech and local democracy comes in the context of major ideological public spending cuts and government attacks on the Muslim community, trade unions and the right to protest.”

“We stand in support of all groups and communities bearing the brunt of the conservative government’s neoliberal agenda and it’s all out attacks on democracy and basic rights.”

Notes

Boycott and divestment tactics have been endorsed by the Trade Union Congress and more than a dozen individual trade unions, the Green Party, the National Union of Students and dozens of student unions.

Kate Tempest, Jarvis Cocker and Roger Waters from Pink Floyd are among the 1,000 artists who recently pledged not to perform in Israel. French multinational Orange and Ireland’s biggest company CRH are among the other major companies to exit the Israeli market following high profile campaigns against their links to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.

Despite Whitehall’s official controls on arms exports, UK-made arms and military technologies continue to be sold to and used by the occupying Israeli forces. The value of licences awarded for export to Israel amounted to over £40million in 2014 alone.

UK arms exports to Israel include engines for drones. Israel uses drones in its attacks on Palestinian civilians. Israel’s largest weapons company Elbit Systems is the lead member of a $700m consortium that will provide training for the Royal Air Force.

- See more at: http://bdsmovement.net/2016/palestinians-israel-boycott-ban-similar-to-thatchers-support-for-apartheid-13713#sthash.7b54HH0T.dpuf

Diluted UK government position on ‘Israel boycott ban’ follows public outrage

The UK government today announced more details of its restrictions on public bodies regarding ethical procurement as part of moves to "ban boycotts" of Israel announced earlier this week. 

Palestinian boycott campaigners say the new documents amount to an attempt to intimidate councils and universities but do not appear to introduce new legal obligations on public bodies.

Riya Hassan, Europe Campaigns Officer with the Palestinian BDS National Committee, the coalition of Palestinian organisations that leads the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, said:

"Perhaps the public outrage over the governments attack on local democracy hit a nerve in Westminster because the document published today does not 'ban boycotts' in the way that the government announced it wanted to."

“We’re seeking further legal advice but it appears that it remains perfectly legal for councils and universities to take ethical stances that reflect the views of their communities and exclude companies that violate human rights or commit other forms of gross misconduct from tender exercises.”

“The tone and language in the documents published by the government is intended as a gift to Israel and is clearly designed to intimidate councils into falsely thinking that they are no longer allowed to exclude companies that violate human rights from tender exercises, making this a particularly underhand attack on local democracy.”

The document published today sets out existing legal obligations regarding public sector procurement processes. It uses existing World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to argue that public bodies cannot refuse to deal with a company because of the country they are based in. It does not appear to introduce new legal obligations or requirements for public bodies.

Palestine campaign groups urge universities and councils not to award contracts to companies such as G4S, which helps Israel run prisons in which Palestinians are tortured, due to their participation in Israeli violations of international law, not because of their presence or connections to Israel.

The existing Public Contracts Regulations 2015 which is based on EU law, allows for companies to be excluded from tender exercises if they have committed "gross misconduct", a provision that does not appear to have been changed.

Riya Hassan added:

“This is the most pro-Israel UK government in a generation and this government is going further than the Margaret Thatcher ever went to defend South African apartheid.”

"We share the outrage of people in Britain about the government's willingness to undermine civil rights and democratic principles in order to shield Israel ethical pressure similar to that applied to apartheid South Africa.”

“Israel is aware that it is becoming a pariah state, that BDS is having an economic impact and that more companies are exiting the Israeli market so it is exporting a patently anti-democratic model of how governments should deal with dissent that is based on repression.”

French multinational Veolia ended its role in illegal Israeli settlements after local councils in the UK and beyond dropped it from contracts worth more than £10bn. Veolia lost contracts with councils and other public bodies in London, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Canterbury, East Sussex, Winchester and many others as a result of BDS campaigns. 

Councils in Tower Hamlets, Leicester, Swansea and Bristol are among those that have passed resolutions in support of BDS or condemning companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements.

Four Scottish councils - Midlothian Council, Clackmanarkshire, W. Dunbartonshire and Stirling - have also voted to join the BDS movement. Today’s announcement will not impact public bodies in Scotland.

Separate guidance regarding public sector pension funds is expected later this year and is expected to go much further in limiting powers of public bodies. More than 15,000 people have written to the government urging it not to give central government veto power over local council investment decisions as part of a campaign organised by a coalition of climate, anti-arms trade and Palestine campaigners.

The potentially far-reaching limits to council powers regarding investments and procurement have been criticised by Amnesty International, elected councillors, local government experts and the Labour Party.

Under international law, local and national governments are obliged not to aid and abet Israel’s illegal Israeli settlements. The UK government has issued guidance urging businesses not to do maintain economic links with settlements.

BDS in the UK

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005.

Boycott and divestment tactics in support of Palestinian rights under international law have been endorsed by the Trades Union Congress and more than a dozen individual trade unions, the Green Party, the National Union of Students and dozens of student unions.

Kate Tempest, Jarvis Cocker and Roger Waters from Pink Floyd are among the 1,000 artists who recently pledged not to perform in Israel over its occupation and human rights violations.

French multinationals Veolia and Orange and Ireland’s biggest company CRH are among the major companies to exit the Israeli market following high profile campaigns against their involvement in Israel’s occupation and colonization of Palestinian land. View a roundup of BDS successes in 2015 here.

Despite Whitehall's official controls on arms exports, UK-made arms and military technologies continue to be sold to and used by the occupying Israeli forces. The value of licences awarded for export to Israel amounted to over £40million in 2014 alone. UK arms exports to Israel include engines for drones. Israel uses drones in its attacks on Palestinian civilians. Israel’s largest weapons company Elbit Systems is thelead member of a $700m consortium that will provide training for the Royal Air Force.

http://emails.bdsnationalcommittee.org/w/vKbnDUGADmOA4GgFkkG2Og/CvVztYRsc5fzuTxeCZpUUQ/763SblPr11ng4GGaSdbdnkvg

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

editor@aljazeerah.info & editor@ccun.org