Boycott Britain!

A Jews sans frontieres exclusive?

I've just received the following email:

Dear Friend of Israel,

You have received this email because you are someone who cares about the one and only Jewish State. This is not your typical urban-legend “chain email”. This is about a real political issue— the growing British boycott of Israel.

The chief union of British university professors has just voted to boycott Israel and to urge its members to terminate their relations with Israeli faculty and researchers. Worse, Britain’s largest and most influential union of government employees is expected to enact its own boycott later in June. Beyond symbolism, this could have significant long-term consequences for the Israeli economy, and will certainly embolden other European unions to implement their own boycotts and divestment campaigns. Developments in Britain thus threaten to set off a chain reaction that would marginalize Israel and suffocate its export-oriented economy.

The British government has officially opposed these actions; however, it is not blameless in the matter. In the name of “Mideast even-handedness”, it has blocked and hindered exports of essential arms and spare parts to Israel since around 2001. It also raised a scandal upon discovering that a U.S. military cargo plane, transporting ammunition to Israel during last year’s war with Hezbollah, had used a British airfield to refuel. (It seems that nothing has changed from 60 years ago, when some British units and volunteers fought side-by-side with the Arabs to destroy Israel during its War of Independence).

These are not the actions of a friendly state. It is clear that both the British government and Britain's public-sector elites are opposed to Israel’s right to self-defense, and therefore, its right to exist.

However, a boycott can be a two-way street. While the State of Israel, with its tiny population and economy, cannot respond in kind, we in North America can.

So until Britain changes its attitude and policies 180-degrees, please do not travel to Britain, do not partake of British products or brands (e.g. HSBC Bank, Reebok, Umbro, Burberry, French Connection, Virgin Megastores, Cadbury, Amstrad, Invensys), do not spend money on British movies or music, do not fly on any British airline (e.g. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic), and, if this applies to you, consider limiting your business with British nationals, divesting your British assets, and/or voting against tenure for British faculty in your department.

Also, please write the British Embassy and Consulates in protest, ask your Congressman for a statement on the issue, and pass along this email to as many friends of Israel (and websites and blogs) as you can.

Whatever you do, please do not sit by idly. Let them know that their hateful, pro-terrorist actions have consequences, and will not be ignored on this side of the Atlantic. Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you,

A Fellow Friend of Israel

It's on us. A boycott of the beloved homeland. Don't they understand that we are the world's one and only British state?