Backlash expected over bill banning boycotts of Israel goods

A cross-party backlash is expected implicit authorities plans to good nationalist bodies who initiate boycotts against Israel.

Ministers accidental the bill, which volition beryllium debated connected Monday, would halt councils pursuing "their ain overseas policy".

Critics reason it is inconsistent with longstanding UK overseas argumentation towards the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and could forestall enactment for groups astir the satellite facing persecution.

The Foreign Office and Levelling Up section person been asked to comment.

The planned instrumentality - called the Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill - is being led by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and was a Tory manifesto commitment.

It seeks to forestall nationalist bodies, including councils, from campaigning against, boycotting oregon sanctioning a peculiar planetary territory unless that is endorsed by the UK government's ain overseas policy.

The authorities says the bill, which is being debated connected Monday, aims to halt councils and different publically funded bodies from "pursuing their ain overseas argumentation agendas".

Much of the statement connected this contented has focused connected boycotts of Israel and Israeli settlements successful the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

A question called the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) question calls for broad-based economical and taste boycotts of Israel and Israel settlements - akin to those applied to South Africa successful the apartheid era.

Such boycotts are backed by Palestinians who spot them arsenic applying unit connected Israel to extremity its subject occupation.

The Israeli government, connected the different hand, sees the full BDS question arsenic unjustly singling retired Israel and arsenic antisemitic.

Mr Gove has antecedently said specified campaigns "undermine the UK's overseas policy" and "lead to appalling antisemitic rhetoric and abuse".

But Labour - and a fig of Conservative MPs - person raised concerns astir the bill's imaginable interaction connected UK overseas policy.

Longstanding UK authorities argumentation calls for an extremity to Israel's subject concern of the Occupied Palestinian Territories arsenic portion of a negotiated "two-state solution".

The UK has for decades endorsed the presumption of planetary law, nether which Israeli settlements are seen arsenic amerciable - though Israel disputes this - and sees their enlargement arsenic an "obstacle to peace".

The measure doesn't halt nationalist bodies from complying with UK-wide sanctions, and it gives the authorities the powerfulness to marque definite countries exempt from the restrictions.

For example, the authorities intends Russia and Belarus to beryllium exempted.

But the measure doesn't let the rules to exempt Israel, the Occupied Territories, oregon the Occupied Golan Heights.

In doing so, it groups the 3 territories together, which critics reason undermines the UK's overseas argumentation presumption by suggesting boycotting Israeli settlements successful the Occupied Palestinian Territories oregon Golan Heights would beryllium the aforesaid arsenic boycotting Israel - contempt the illegality of the erstwhile 2 nether planetary law.

Critics person besides raised concerns that the measure would bounds campaigns against quality rights abuses successful different parts of the satellite - specified arsenic against the Uyghur successful Xinjiang, China.

Labour person projected a alteration to the planned law.

Its amendment says it opposes immoderate "discrimination" by nationalist bodies successful however they walk their wealth and says each nationalist bodies indispensable enactment "without bias" erstwhile making decisions connected procurement and investment.

But it says the measure risks "significantly undermining support" for groups astir the satellite facing persecution, for illustration the Uyghur successful China, who are "currently victims of sedate and systemic quality rights abuses."

It besides says it undermines the UK's long-standing cross-party presumption connected the Occupied Territories and Golan Heights by "conflating these with the State of Israel".

Labour person besides raised concerns astir the measure placing "unprecedented" restrictions connected the quality of elected nationalist bodies to explicit a view, which they accidental impacts section authorities pension funds and limits state of speech.

Labour MPs are being told to not ballot astatine all.

Some Tory MPs and authorities insiders person raised acrophobic astir plans. It's understood these see the seat of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns.