Please be assured that I take these issues very seriously, and I am extremely concerned about the plight of the Palestinians. I am a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Palestine and regularly attend briefings, so I completely understand about the cycle of violence recently witnessed across the West Bank, in particular in Gaza. I extend my sincere sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and urgently want a solution and a just peace for all.
However, I believe that there is a difference between legitimate reasons to criticise the Israeli Government and the nature of the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which for almost 20 years has sought to delegitimise the world’s only Jewish state. I am concerned by the rise in antisemitism that we have seen in this country, and I am particularly worried by the pattern of antisemitic behaviour which has been witnessed in connection with campaigns promoting boycotts against Israel, as evidenced in the Supreme Court.
I do hope that this explains why, although I completely understand concerns about the violence in Jenin, I will not be signing this EDM because I support measures in the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill.