- In what was seen as one of Boris Johnson’s legislative priorities, the UK Parliament is set to pass legislation banning support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel as anti-Semitic.
- BDS has backfired: in November, representatives from 15 Arab countries met in London to reject the BDS movement as an expensive failure that had cost billions in trade. Egyptian-British lawyer Eglal Gheita declared, “Arabs are the boycott’s first — and only — victims.”
- South Africa’s Anglicans have passed a resolution supporting BDS.
- Israel’s first-ever grassroots, English-language herbal conference for the international community was nearly cancelled after BDS activists threatened some of the top speakers, who pulled out of the event under extraordinary pressure. The conference, titled ‘Ancient Roots Israel’ is still expected to take place from 9-11 February in Tiberias.
“Israel has excellent herbalists spearheading herbal innovations… and it’s a shame that the international community is unaware of that,” said J Rivkah Asoulin, founder and executive director of the conference.