Britain Sets Guidelines To Block Cities From Boycotting Israel
(JTA) — The British government has unveiled a proposed guideline that is meant to counteract and prevent the passing of resolutions in favor of boycotting Israel by local municipalities.
The Department for Communities and Local Government published its plan for ending such initiatives on Monday in a leaflet containing proposed additions and revisions to a document titled the “Revised Best Value Statutory Guidance,” which offers guidelines on various issues pertaining to local government, including procurement policies.
“Authorities should not implement or pursue boycotts other than where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the Government,” the proposal reads.
The British government has a “longstanding policy of value for money in public procurement,” the document further reads. Procurement legislation in the United Kingdom and the European Union “requires public authorities to treat suppliers fairly and equally and this guidance has been updated to reflect that and make it clear that boycotts in public procurement are inappropriate outside where formal legal sanctions have been put in place.”
Individuals who want to offer their feedback to the government, including arguments in favor and against the revision, must do so before March 28, the document states.
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the national umbrella of the Jewish community of the United Kingdom, said his group “warmly welcomes the Government’s measures” since “these boycotts are divisive and undermine good community relations. The new steps will ensure that all suppliers of goods and services receive equal treatment and do not need to fear prejudice.”
Resolutions favoring boycotts of Israel were passed recently in several municipalities in Britain, including the Leicester City Council in 2014. Similar measures were discussed but not taken in Nottingham.
The Conservative-led British government has threatened to fine municipalities that vote on boycotting Israel and has announced plans for laws making such initiatives illegal.
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