The two biggest organisations representing Britain’s Jews have told a parliamentary committee they strongly support a bill that seeks to prevent public bodies from mounting economic boycotts of Israel.
Giving evidence on Monday to the Commons committee now scrutinising the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, Daniel Sugarman, public affairs director of the Board of Deputies, and Russell Langer, the Jewish Leadership Council’s head of policy, said they believed it would curb antisemitism and positively impact community relations.
“The boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign, BDS, against Israel is a pernicious campaign, which seeks to single out the world’s only Jewish state for unique treatment,” Langer said. “The legislation is necessary to end the practice of Israel being singled out in that way by public bodies.”
Sugarman said: “People who take an extreme interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and call for a full boycott of Israel seem rarely, if ever, to call for boycotts of any other country.”
The bill, which was introduced by Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove in July, would leave public bodies open to huge fines if they made “economic decisions” such as disinvestment on the basis of support for BDS.
The committee will hear more witnesses next week and then consider amendments before the bill returns to the Commons for its third reading.
Labour is set to oppose the proposed legislation, which also contains a clause that bans public bodies from issuing statements in support of BDS.
Hannah Weisfeld, director of left-wing Jewish group Yachad, claimed the bill “will severely limit freedom of speech”.
But it has been backed by James Gurd, executive director of Conservative Friends of Israel, who said that BDS “is a deeply divisive movement”.
