The British journalists’ union has rejected a boycott of Israel.
The National Executive Council of the National Union of Journalists unanimously passed a motion last week ditching the boycott of Israeli goods, originally passed in April by the union’s National Delegates Conference. The April measure was greeted with outrage by many union members and resulted in the resignation of more than 30 journalists from the union. Other members staged an anti-boycott petition campaign.
The executive council’s motion last week noted that the “nine previous motions on Israel/Palestine since 1987 have focused on issues concerning journalists, their social and working conditions, and their welfare,” and said the council “will take no further action to implement the boycott call.”
The motion also said the executive committee “rejects absolutely allegations of anti-Semitism and/or racism and reaffirms its commitment to opposing racism in all its forms.”
“This is an honorable decision and a victory for common sense,” Jeremy Newmark, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said after the news was announced.
