The Board Of Deputies – Voice Of The Jewish Community?
What it Says And What it doesn't
The BoD claims to be the ‘voice of the Jewish Community in Britain’.
- Failing to engage with and represent members of the community who hold critical views of the Israeli occupation and its breaches of international law.
- Failing to hold Israel to account for dehumanising and brutalising Palestinians over decades by systemically depriving them of their liberty and their rights – in the name of all Jews.
- Failing to challenge the Israeli state’s acceleration of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and now in Gaza.
- Campaigning against hard-won democratic rights and civil liberties in the UK, including freedom of speech, of assembly and the right to protest and boycott.
- Supporting the ‘confusing and divisive‘ IHRA definition of antisemitism, which consistently conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, thereby making antisemitism harder to combat.
Below are examples of statements and positions taken from the BoD press releases (most recent first), all of which can be found here. At times, it is the silence and refusal to make a statement which says the most. Notably, there have been no statements at any time acknowledging the catastrophic loss of life in Gaza caused by Israel over the past 7 months, the scale of destruction of civilian infrastructure, the man-made famine, the killing of health workers, journalists, children and aid workers. The BoD has never called for a ceasefire – in fact, it has actively opposed efforts to secure a UK Parliamentary motion for a ceasefire and attempts to prevent further loss of life. No statement can be found either on the 17-year Gaza blockade. All of this is a source of great concern and grief to many in the UK Jewish community.
21 MAY 2024 – OPPOSES ICC Prosecutor’s applications for Arrest warrants against both israeli and hamas leaders
Upon news of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan’s application for arrest warrants against both Israeli and Hamas leaders, the BoD deflects from the grave charges by claiming there cannot be any moral equivalence between Hamas and Israeli leaders and asserting that the ICC lacks the jurisdiction to seek these warrants – despite this remit having been established in 2021. Both claims ultimately function as a cover for the Board’s denial of equality and justice before the law to Palestinian victims.
‘We believe that the ICC Prosecutor’s recent application for arrest warrants… exhibits an entirely unacceptable attempt at moral equivalence between Hamas – responsible for the October 7th Mass Terror Attacks – and Israel, which has been attempting to uproot Hamas from Gaza. We also note the Prosecutor’s application appears to absolve Hamas from all responsibility for the current state of the situation in Gaza, entirely ignoring the way the terror group uses its own population as human shields.
We agree with both the FCDO and the US State Department that the ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter, and that its attempt to insert itself into this tragic conflict will bring us no closer to a full and lasting peace.’
25 april 2024 – CAMPAIGNING TO INTENSIFY RESTRICTIONS ON PRO-CEASEFIRE MARCHES
Delegation to the MET ‘to discuss policing around the regular ‘anti-Israel’ marches.’
BoD President Marie van der Zyl: ‘It is time for a comprehensive review of the Public Order Act… The Act currently allows for major restrictions on single marches specifically if it is determined that it will cause a serious public disorder; it was not designed to consider a concentrated campaign intended to bring central London to a standstill on weekends with repeated marches for months on end. The Act was also meant, among other things, to ‘control the stirring up of racial hatred’, but it is clearly failing to do this in 2024. This is a matter I shall be speaking to Ministers about in the coming period.’
21 february 2024 – STATEMENT AGAINST UK PARLIAMENTARY MOTION FOR CEASEFIRE
MPs debate a ceasefire motion in the House of Commons – as polls consistently show an overwhelming majority of the British public backed a ceasefire from November onwards. The BoD releases a statement about such efforts:
‘Political parties should understand that a long-term resolution to this conflict will not be brokered in Parliament, but by Israelis and Palestinians working with global partners.’
28 january 2024 – SUPPORTS UK GOVERNMENT POSITION ON ICJ PROVISIONAL MEASURES RULING AS ‘WRONG AND PROVOCATIVE’
The BoD releases a statement saying that it ‘welcomes’ the UK government’s statement which expressed ‘considerable concerns’ about the case. The government statement reads: ‘Our view is that Israel’s actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa’s decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.’
27 january 2024 – COMMENDS UK’S DECISION TO HALT UNWRA FUNDING, CLAIMING THE UN AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WELFARE OF MILLIONS ‘PROMOTES TERROR’
The Board releases a statement saying it ‘commends’ the government’s decision to halt funding for UNRWA on the basis of claims by Israel that 12 members were involved in October 7 attacks (note that at present, no evidence has been presented and most countries have resumed funding). BoD statement reads: ‘There have been significant worries for decades regarding the activity of UNWRA employees; their incitement of antisemitism and their promotion of terror – and for decades UNWRA’s leadership has dismissed such fears. It is clear that far stronger oversight of this agency is desperately needed.’
23 November 2024 – WRITES TO GOVERNMENT about ‘INDOCTRINATION’ RE: SCHOOL ADVOCACY FOR PALESTINE
Writes to UK education secretary Gilian Keegan expressing concern over the growing popularity of calls for ‘School Strikes for Palestine.’
‘The indoctrination of schoolchildren which is currently taking place is highly concerning –for example, this week schoolchildren on strike in Bethnal Green were directed to protest outside their local MPs office, specifically because she had not voted for a Scottish National Party motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (which would have had no effect whatsoever).’
29 October 2024 – DENOUNCES CALLS FOR A CEASEFIRE AS ‘IRRESPONSIBLE” AND DEMANDS POLITICIANS STOP CALLING FOR IT
In a joint statement with the Jewish Leadership council: ‘Many of these calls are motivated by humanitarian concerns and we are deeply sympathetic to those Palestinian civilians caught in this conflict. These calls also show a worrying lack of understanding and are irresponsible coming from those in elected office here in the UK.
‘Politicians who do not have a direct role in these diplomatic efforts should focus on threats to community cohesion here in the UK.’
2022 – CELEBRATES ITS ACHIEVEMENT IN ADVANCING THE BDS BILL, WHICH PROHIBITS PUBLIC BODIES FROM MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS IN THEIR INVESTMENTS, INCLUDING PRODUCTS FROM THE ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS.
‘Following years of determined advocacy, the BDS Bill was included by the Government in the Queen’s Speech with the purpose of stopping the insidious and unjust boycotts of the world’s only Jewish state.’ – BoD Charitable Foundation accounts 2022.
23 March 2022 – DISMISSES REPORT OF UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR INTO ISRAELI APARTHEID – THE LATEST IN A GROWING BODY OF WORK SUPPORTING AN INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS – AS ‘FALSEHOODS AND DISTORTIONS’
Senior Vice President David Mendoza-Wolfson condemn Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk’s report presented to the United Nations Human Rights Office.
‘It is unsurprising Mr Lynk’s final report continues to peddle falsehoods and distortions about Israel. However it is sadly expected of this sham of a role, specifically designed so that the holder cannot investigate abuses made by anyone other than Israel.
Rather than a balanced and analytical piece of work, Lynk dabbles in antisemitic tropes and offensive rhetoric. Lynk’s depiction of Israel in his report as a “covetous alien power” motivated by “population control” – strikingly similar to an age-old antisemitic trope – reveals a sinister motivation that should immediately disqualify it from any forum committed to human rights. That his report bears a UN logo only serves to diminish the institution’s standing.’
31 January 2022. ON THE EVE OF RELEASE OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT INTO ISRAELI APARTHEID, BOD DISMISSES IT AS ‘BIASED’ AND A ‘PREPOSTEROUS SLUR’
Upon release of AI’s 280-page report, ‘Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity,‘ Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Jewish Leadership Council Chair Keith Black issue the following statement:
‘We have seen a copy of a report due to be released by Amnesty International UK (AI UK) tomorrow. We are shocked but not surprised by the content given the history of AI UK’s one-sided positioning on Israel.
The report is completely biased and applies standards to Israel that are not applied to any other country. The emotive term “apartheid” against Israel is a preposterous slur. Israel is a vibrant democracy and a state for all its citizens, as exemplified by its diverse government and robust civil society…. This is a bad faith report hostile to the very concept of Israel, and we reject its very premise.’
13 July 2021 – CAMPAIGNS TO implement IHRA DEFINITION ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
‘The Government has written to five of the UK’s largest social media companies and platforms to ‘strongly encourage’ them to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of Antisemitism.’
‘Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies, praised the Government’s action and called on the Secretary of State to follow this by asking Ofcom, as the planned regulator for social media, to use IHRA when assessing whether social media companies are fulfilling their duty of care to Jewish users.
‘The Board of Deputies has been clear in all its meetings with social media companies that if they truly want to combat antisemitism on their platforms, they need to adopt the full IHRA definition of antisemitism as part of their community standards and use it when considering antisemitism complaints,’ she said.
May 2021 – CAMPAIGNING FOR THE IHRA DEFINITION TO BE ADOPTED BY COUNCIL AND MAYORAL CANDIDATES IN ELECTIONS
Rolled out for the May 2021 elections were the so-called ‘Ten Commitments.’ No. 1 was to promote and implement the IHRA definition in full. No 4 was to promote links with Israel.
‘Party leaders and mayoral candidates have welcomed this years’ Jewish Manifestos for London, Scotland and Wales and their ‘Ten Commitments’ ahead of devolved elections this coming Thursday.’
27 April 2021 – BOD DESCRIBES REPORT BY HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTO ISRAELI APARTHEID A ‘RIDICULOUS SLUR’
Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl condemns 213-page HRW report ‘A Threshold Crossed‘ as a ‘sham’ and ‘slur’ against Israel.
‘The release by Human Rights Watch is a sham which puts rhetoric above fact. They consistently ignore or downplay the fact that Israel’s security measures in the West Bank and around Gaza are the response to well-documented terror activities. The ridiculous ‘apartheid‘ slur in this report is belied by the fact that, as it stands, Israel’s next Government may well rely on the support of Arab parties, voted for by the country’s fully-enfranchised Arab citizens. Israel’s Arab citizens have been appointed as ambassadors, professors, Supreme Court judges, hospital directors, and other key roles throughout Israel’s socio-economic landscape. Civil society organisations should be directing their efforts towards reinvigorating the peace process, not trading in false hyperbole that extends the cycle of conflict.’
4 March 2021 – BOD LABELS WORK OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT – ‘MORAL BANKRUPTCY’
‘Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl has criticised the decision of the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into alleged war crimes by the Israelis.
‘The decision made by ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda yesterday to open a formal investigation into “alleged war crimes in the Palestinian Territories” goes to show the increasing moral bankruptcy of international courts.”
January 2021 – BOD MAKES NO COMMENT ON B’TSELEM REPORT INTO ISRAELI APARTHEID
Israeli Human rights organisation B’Tselem releases its report, ‘A Regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid.’
The Board of Deputies makes no comment.
22 May 2020 – REFUSES TO CONDEMN ISRAELI PLANS TO ANNEX PALESTINIAN LAND
‘Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl issued the following statement on the Israeli Government’s proposal to annex some of the major settlement blocs in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
‘There are some who have called on the Board of Deputies to support annexation and there are also those who call on the Board to oppose the move. In fact, the variation of opinion is even more nuanced than this, and as the body responsible for representing this range, we do not in good faith support one view over another. Rather we are here to facilitate this debate from all sides. We also have to take into account that Israel – the only democracy in the Middle East – has an elected Government which reflects the will of Israeli voters. We do, as ever, emphasise our continued belief in a negotiated two-state solution, leading to a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.’’
19 July 2018 – EXPRESSES ‘CONCERN’ OVER ISRAEL’S ‘REGRESSIVE’ NATION STATE LAW – WHICH ENSHRINES JEWISH SUPREMACY IN LAW – YET FAILS TO CONFRONT THE REALITIES THIS LAW HAS MERELY FORMALISED
‘Whilst we celebrate Israel’s Jewish-ness, there is concern that some of the measures in this law are regressive steps… We will be writing to Israel’s Ambassador to express concerns at these measures.’
11 November 2015 – CONDEMNS EU LAW LABELLING OF SETTLEMENT GOODS
‘Board President Jonathan Arkush has condemned new guidelines approved by the EU on Wednesday for labelling products from Israeli settlements on what the organisation regards as occupied land. “The EU labelling guidelines are not only totally misconceived but harmful. They are an attempt to stigmatise and thereby encourage boycotts, which are contrary to Government policy. They epitomise the double standard of treating Israel in a different way than other countries involved in territorial disputes. They encourage those parties who imagine that a settlement can be imposed rather than reached by negotiation and they are therefore damaging to the peace process. The Board is deeply disappointed that the EU could have acted in such an unconstructive way without thinking through the consequences.”’