Government Bill seeks to protect Israel from sanctions.

 

Numerous U.N. resolutions have declared that Israel's occupation of the West Bank in 1967, and the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, are illegal under international law.

Israel is a racist apartheid state which recognises Israel as only a nation state, of the Jewish people. Although Palestinian homes have been demolished in the occupied territories, land stolen, Palestinian resisters shot and killed, and illegal settlements built by Jewish settlers on Palestine lands, the British Tory government of Rishi Sunak, are now trying to stop public bodies from supporting sanctions against Israel and the 'Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions' (BDS) movement.

The 'Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, passed its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday. The bill seeks to prevent public bodies from making procurement and investment decisions "influenced by political or moral disapproval of foreign state conduct'. The bill seeks to shield Israel from economic sanctions being imposed on it for human rights abuses and violations of international law, and a system of apartheid being imposed on the Palestinian people. The bill's gagging clause, Clause 4, prevents a decision- maker from publishing a statement saying they intend to make such a decision or that they would intend to make such a decision, if the law was not stopping them.

Amnesty International have said that the bill is "clearly incompatible" with the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). In particular, they cite Articles 8 (privacy), and 10 (freedom of expression). The government say that only public bodies would be impacted by the bill and not individuals. Although British foreign policy recognises the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories, the government say the bill is necessary to prevent anti-Semitism and to prevent public bodies from pursuing their own foreign policy agenda. Critics say that the bill may be incompatible with international law.

Fourteen Israeli human rights organisations have written to the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and other senior cabinet members, calling on them to withdraw the legislation. They say that the bill would make it extremely difficult for the occupied Palestinian territories to be recognised and treated differently to Israel proper, and that nonviolent tactics of boycotts and sanctions, are legitimate acts. The Union of Jewish students said they opposed the bill as it violated civil rights, but reiterated their opposition to BDS. They said:

"Using legislation to clamp down on free speech and space for dissent, harms democracy. Making it illegal for public authorities not just to boycott Israel, but China or Myanmar, to name just a few examples, will not make Jews safer - we must remain committed to the values of democracies, free speech and human rights."

Critics of the bill, have warned that autocratic and despotic regimes throughout the world, will be rejoicing at Rishi Sunak's anti-boycott bill. Had it been in place years ago, it would have certainly have made sanctions against apartheid South Africa illegal, and the Jewish Anti-Nazi boycott of Germany, in the 1930s.