The board of directors of the University of Toronto Students' Union (UTSU) has decided not to introduce a motion at its fall annual general meeting backing the boycott, divestments and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
At its Sept. 4 meeting, the board rejected a motion to submit a pro-BDS resolution by a narrow margin of 10 to 8, with 11 abstentions.
The Varsity student newspaper reported that a motion to strike a committee to discuss BDS was voted down at the July 28 UTSU board meeting, but the question of whether to introduce a motion at the annual general meeting was unaffected, and debate on the issue went ahead Sept. 4.
The vote to reject the resolution was welcomed by both the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and Ontario Hillel.
“We are pleased that the UTSU board rejected BDS today,” Berl Nadler and Joel Reitman, CIJA’s co-chairs in the Greater Toronto Area, and Edward Prutschi and Micki Mizrahi, chair and vice-chair of Hillel Ontario, said in a joint statement. “BDS is nothing less than discrimination on the basis of national origin and a gross breach of academic freedom. It creates a noxious environment on campus not only for Jewish students, but for the entire campus community. In opposing cooperation between the two sides, BDS offends all of us who seek peace and a promising future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
“We are disturbed that a UTSU board member decided to include a two-page spread promoting BDS in the planner booklet issued to U of T students,” the statement continued. “It is encouraging that the board has issued a statement denouncing this manipulative stunt. We urge students who oppose BDS to make their voice heard with the UTSU, and affirm that this content should never have been allowed in the planner.”
Critics have said the BDS movement against Israel is promoting hate on university campuses across the United States and Canada. Classes for most U of T students start next week.
