Hillels Across Canada condemn the federation’s decision, which they said was “fueled” by hate and was “counterproductive to peace.”
By TOVAH LAZAROFFUpdated: NOVEMBER 20, 2018 15:00BDS News(photo credit: screenshot)
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement on Monday and condemned the “ongoing occupation of Palestine.”The endorsement followed a decision on the same day by Airbnb to stop listing rentals in West Bank settlements and a vote by the Quakers in Britain to divest from firms profiting from business activity over the pre-1967 lines.The CFS resolved to support BDS activity including approving financial donations of up to $500 to any single pro-Palestinian organizations. The organization of more than half-a-million members, which has 64 member unions across Canada, also condemned Israeli “atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and [reaffirmed] the Federation’s commitment to BDS and anti-war organizing.”Hillels across Canada condemned the federation’s decision which they said was “fueled” by hate and was “counterproductive to peace.”“The motion is rife with factual inaccuracies and historical distortions. In its obsessive campaign exclusively against one country and one community, the CFS has further marginalized the thousands of Jewish students whom it is tasked with representing," Hillel Canada said.“As Jewish Canadians and academics, we are disheartened by the amount of energy invested in disparaging Israelis, rather than creating spaces for those with competing narratives and historical experiences to come together to engage with complex issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”It noted that Canadian universities were deepening their ties with Israel.Independent Jewish Voices Canada applauded the move. Its national coordinator Corey Balsam said: “This is a crystal clear sign that the BDS movement is gaining momentum both in Canada and around the world, especially among students.”Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justice Trudeau equated BDS with antisemitism.