United Church proposal attacked as anti-Semitic

A proposal being considered by the United Church of Canada that seeks peace in the Middle East through boycotts of Israeli institutions is an expression of "anti-Semitic behaviour" and an "obscene gesture from a religious group," major Jewish organizations say.

The resolutions, which will be brought before the Church's upcoming general council, call for a "comprehensive boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions at the national and international levels" and refer to the recent assault on Gaza as a "visible reminder of the ongoing Israeli regime of exclusion, violence and dehumanization directed against Palestinians."

They also say that Israel was "built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners," and make reference to the effectiveness of boycotts when dealing with state-sponsored racial discrimination and violence as was the case in South Africa.

"This puts the United Church in some very questionable company," said Eric Vernon, director of government affairs for the Canadian Jewish Congress. "The use of boycott, divestment and sanction has been a weapon used by Israel's enemies to destroy it. Those are elements of anti-Semitic behaviour in the contemporary world."

"I am disgusted with the proposal," said Frank Dimant, the chief executive officer of B'nai Brith Canada. Mooooooooooooooooooooooore