The Left’s obsession with Israel is disquieting. Many student groups have signed up to a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which aims, in effect, to drive Israeli academic influence from the university campus. Charities law bans them from engaging in political activity unrelated to the welfare of their students – and some Jewish students say BDS leaves them feeling targeted and intimidated. The Charity Commission has launched an investigation.
Out of all the countries in the world, why is Israel so often at the centre of protest? North Korea, Iran or Sudan don’t seem to attract nearly as much attention on campus as democratic Israel. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with Israeli foreign policy and articulating it. But Israel is the only country whose very existence is questioned by its critics and whose citizens are conflated with its government. Boycotts would not hurt Benjamin Netanyahu. They would hurt the farmers, manufacturers and academics of Israel – including those who oppose Mr Netanyahu.
Anti-Israeli sentiment risks becoming a feature of British political life. Tim Farron has sacked David Ward as a Lib Dem election candidate – the former MP who said that “Jews” were guilty of atrocities against Palestinians. The public might have to tolerate toxic views in the name of free speech, but it should not have to finance them. Any student group that neglects or harms its members’ welfare with anti-Israeli campaigning should be stripped of its charitable status. And on campus, university authorities, students and academics must speak out against intolerance.
