The ‘’Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill’’, which was introduced by UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove,  ”puts an end to councils and various other public bodies running campaigns that target any of Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, or the Golan Heights.”

The British government has presented a bill in Parliament intended to ban local councils from imposing boycotts on Israeli goods and from joining the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

The ‘’Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill’’, which was introduced by UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove, ” puts an end to councils and various other public bodies running campaigns that target any of Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, or the Golan Heights. ”

‘’This will put a stop to Israeli businesses and organisations being targeted through ongoing boycotts by public bodies at a time when antisemitism, the oldest hatred, continues to be a terrible scourge on our society,’’ said Gove.

“It is simply wrong that public bodies have been wasting taxpayers’ time and money pursuing their own foreign policy agenda,” Gove said in a statement. “The UK must have a consistent approach to foreign policy, set by UK Government. These campaigns not only undermine the UK’s foreign policy but lead to appalling antisemitic rhetoric and abuse.”

Gove wrote: ‘’We have seen it happen in Leicester, where councillors voted to boycott produce originating from the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Similar measures were passed by Swansea City Council in 2010 and Gwynedd Council in 2014. Whatever your views on the Middle East peace process — and the government’s position remains unchanged — we never think that locally-led boycotts are the answer.’’

He added that ‘’the campaigns to boycott Israeli goods often lead to appalling antisemitic tropes and abuse for the Jewish community living here in the UK. They can also have a wider chilling effect by intimidating businesses out of trading and working with Israel, which is one of our most important business partners in the region.’’

Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), a pro-Israel Conservative party parliamentary group, hailed the bill as “ground-breaking.” “Today marks a watershed moment in tackling the divisive BDS movement,” said CFI’s Chairmen, MP Stephen Crabb.

“The Government’s ground-breaking legislation, which delivers on a crucial manifesto commitment, will play a critical role in ending the abuse of public bodies for anti-Israel activity. BDS is harmful not only to community cohesion here in the UK but also the wider cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians,’’ the group added.