Published: 14 October 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
The Spanish Supreme Court has declared Israel boycotts constitute discrimination but in Australia academics call them a right.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has passed a wide-reaching resolution supporting boycotts of Israel, banning its officials from accepting trips to Israel, and rejecting the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
The move comes as other countries move to reject the singling out of Israel. The Spanish Supreme Court this week released a ruling that boycotting Israel constitutes discrimination and infringes basic rights.
The two cases illustrate a widening disparity in the way Jews and Israels are viewed in western political discourse.
Spain was once a hotbed of efforts by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, known as BDS. A slew of lower-court rulings in Spain had curtailed that trend, but they had pertained only to individual cases and thus had a limited impact, the group said, but this ruling will function as a legal precedent applicable to all cases going forward.
ACOM, a Spanish pro-Israel nonprofit that has sued multiple entities for discriminating against Israel, described it as a major win.
The Spanish ruling is designed to address cases like those being promoted by the NTEU, which represents 27,000 university workers in Australia.
The NTEU resolved to:
- Seek to strengthen ties with Palestinian unions, including the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees.
- Prohibit elected officials or staff of the NTEU from accepting expenses-paid tours to Israel that are sponsored by the Israeli state or pro-Israel lobby
organisations - Oppose the adoption of policies that prohibit criticism of Israel by any Australian academic institution, including the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
- Support the right of NTEU members to engage in boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) actions that seek to end the occupation of Palestine
- Contribute $2,000 to the organisation of the next Black-Palestinian Solidarity Conference, to be held in late 2023.
- Call upon members to participate in active solidarity with Palestinians.
