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The Ugly Opposition to Britain's Anti-boycott Bill

(MelaniePhilips.Substack) Melanie Phillips - A government bill to outlaw boycotts of Israel received its second reading this week in the House of Commons. The bill prevents local councils and other publicly funded bodies from "pursuing their own foreign policy agendas" by using procurement or investment deals "to indicate disapproval of a foreign state." While it provides for exceptions to this ban, it states that no boycotts of Israel will be permitted. This is because, said the Communities Secretary Michael Gove, an "existing, organized and malign campaign" is trying "to persuade public bodies to make commercial decisions solely on the basis of harming that state and its people." The opposition to the bill is deeply disingenuous. Critics say that it is so wide-ranging, it will prevent boycotts of places like China or Russia. Yet exemptions would permit boycotts of those countries. But surely, the main objection to BDS is that it is unconscionable to demonize Israel through libelous falsehoods with the aim of destroying it.
2023-07-10 00:00:00
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