Jewish students at the University of Liverpool have written to the university's Guild of Students calling for a vote on Israel to be scrapped.
The Liverpool Guild of Students is planning to hold a referendum from April 25 to 27 on whether or not to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Launched in 2005, BDS describes itself as a "Palestinian-led movement" inspired by the South African anti-Apartheid campaign, using cultural and economic pressure "to pressure Israel to comply with international law".
Critics claim BDS aims to "delegitimise" Israel, and say the campaign boosts antisemitism by singling out the only Jewish-majority country in the world.
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In a letter sent to the Liverpool Guild of Students and to university management in March, members of the university's Jewish Society said Liverpool has a "positive reputation as an inclusive environment where Jewish students feel safe and welcomed". They called for the vote to be scrapped, warning "this debate, even if the motion doesn't pass, will result in discussions that lead to antisemitism".
The letter's authors say they take particular issue with what they say is the BDS movement's focus on human rights abuses by Israel but not other countries. A subsequent letter, sent by the Jewish Society last week, said: "By hosting this referendum, you demonstrate that you do not care for [Jewish students'] safety, their wellbeing, or their concerns that come with this event going ahead. The BDS movement drives wedges between communities."
That letter adds: "We do not expect every student at University of Liverpool student to agree with each other on matters of Israel and the Palestinians. What we hope for is an understanding. BDS brings no hope of this understanding to the table."
The Jewish Society urged people to support other groups like Solutions not Sides, which seeks to promote cross-community dialogue and conflict resolution by hosting Israeli and Palestinian speakers with first-hand experience of the conflict.
In response, local pro-Palestine student group Liv Palestine said: "Amnesty International, the world's leading human rights group has recently declared that Israel is an apartheid state. As in our statement, we wholeheartedly stand by the campaign for universities to divest from companies complicit in the violations taking place.
"We have seen with the situation in Ukraine, the success of divestment policies against Russia, and therefore we fundamentally believe it should also be justified for our campaign to go forward without allegations of antisemitism as it follows the same principle. As we referred to in our statement, Judaism and Israel are not synonymous terms and should not be treated as such, there's a difference between Jewish people and those who support the state of Israel, the two should not be conflated.
"We oppose and condemn antisemitism; we are acutely aware that defining antisemitism does not actually do the work of dismantling it."
A spokesperson for Liverpool Guild of Students said: "Liverpool Guild of Students is holding a student referendum to determine whether the Guild should support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement.
"The idea was initially proposed from the student body, and then discussed at the Guild Summit - a group of randomly selected students chosen to reflect the student body - on 8th February. At that meeting, Summit attendees did not reach consensus on the matter, so it is now going to a cross-campus ballot. Ideas that divide opinion at Guild Summit are put to a campus wide ballot to enable all students to express their view.
"We recognise the sensitive nature of this issue and there is a range of support on campus for students to access. Students can contact the Guild Advice team and the University Wellbeing Advisers, and all support details can be found on the Guild website. "
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was contacted for comment.
