Guild to hold student vote on boycotting Israel

Friends of Palestine Society have asked the Guild to hold a student vote on whether the union should boycott Israel, in an effort to stop the Guild from being involved in Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Previously at a 2015 summit, the Guild rejected boycotting Israel on the grounds that it “should remain impartial”.

The summit decision has since been suspended for the upcoming preferendum.

The motion for the vote will be: for the Liverpool Guild of Students to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement

1. Advocate divestment from companies that are complicit in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the seige on Gaza and the discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel until their involvement ceases.
2. Mandate Liverpool Guild of Students to lobby the University to divest from companies complicit in the above 1.
3. Stop the Guild of students from stocking products from Israel and Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
4. Release a public statement of support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as a tool of support and solidarity to Palestinians facing on-going displacement, repression, oppression, discrimination and violence.

Options for the vote are:

• NO – don’t adopt BDS motion.
• Support the outcome of the Guild 2015 summit – you would like the guild to take a range of measures – including running events at which students can learn about the issues, making information available, labeling products clearly (which will allow students to decide themselves what actions they would like to take) and to provide support for existing groups, student societies as well as external charities, which would work and campaign on highlighting the conflict to our students.
• YES – adopt all parts of this motion.

Students involved in protest against Israeli attacks in summer of 2014

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions is an organisation which promotes the use of economic pressure against Israel to fight for the rights of Palestinians in occupied lands as well as within its own borders.

Their primary aims are ending Israel’s occupation of Palestine, to promote full equality of fundamental rights for Palestinians and promoting Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes.

An art piece by Palestinian student Karim Hammad, reacting to the Guild’s summit decision to reject the boycott

Karim Hammad, a Palestinian Bio-Med student feels like the vote is needed: “I found the Guild’s summit decision to ‘stay impartial’ especially haunting considering the fact that students used to be the first to stand up for social justice in areas where the powerful oppressed the powerless, like against the South African apartheid” .

He added, “I hate the idea that the Guild can use my money to purchase Israeli goods – money that may well be used by the Israeli government to rain hell down upon my family members living back in Palestine.”

A second art piece by Karim Hammad, based on graffiti done on the 25ft Separation wall which divides Israel and the West Bank

However, there are many who disagree with the boycott.

Criticisms include the way it wrongly targets Israel as a racist apartheid state, that it would make Jewish students feel marginalised, and that punishing Israeli firms, which many Palestinians work for, is wrong as they have no agency in the conflict.

David Sultman, second year Medic and chair of the Liverpool Jewish Society said: “I am concerned for the well being of fellow Jews in Liverpool.

“Following the passing of BDS motions on other campuses around the UK, Jewish and Israeli students have been made to feel marginalised, and I will not let this happen on my own campus.

“I acknowledge the need for debate and an increase in awareness on the topic, but BDS itself discourages dialogue and coexistence, and this is not an atmosphere I want for students.”

The vote at the Guild will be between 9-13th of November, and will need at least 600 votes to be validated.

Whether you feel that the Guild shouldn’t be associated with Israel, or if you feel that a boycott is worse for the conflict, come and vote to have your own view represented.