British Methodist Church approves Israel boycott

RNS/ENInews (LONDON) The Methodist Church in Britain has a launched a boycott of all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, prompting a wave of protests and accusations of anti-Semitism. “The goal of the boycott is to put an end to the existing injustice. It reflects the challenge that settlements present to a lasting […]

RNS/ENInews (LONDON) The Methodist Church in Britain has a launched a boycott of all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, prompting a wave of protests and accusations of anti-Semitism.

“The goal of the boycott is to put an end to the existing injustice. It reflects the challenge that settlements present to a lasting peace in the region,” said Christine Elliott, the church’s secretary for external relationships, after a vote on the issue on Wednesday (June 30) at the denomination’s highest decision-making body, the Methodist Conference.

The church is also seeking to persuade Britain’s major supermarkets to comply with British government guidelines on distinguishing between products from Israeli settlements on the West Bank and Palestinian-manufactured goods.


With about 265,000 members and about 5,800 local congregations, the Methodist Church says it is Britain’s fourth-largest denomination.

In a statement, the church said its decision on the products from Israeli settlements was in response to a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a “growing number” of Jewish organizations, both inside Israel and worldwide, and the Geneva-based World Council of Churches.

Speaking at the end of the conference in Portsmouth, in southern England, Anna Drew, a Methodist Church media officer, told ENInews, “We have been inundated with e-mails from people accusing the Methodist Church of anti-Semitism. People who make such claims are completely wrong. We are not anti-Semitic.

“We are looking for justice,” Drew said.

In December, Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recommended that the packaging of products imported from the West Bank should distinguish between those made in Palestinian areas and those from Israeli settlements.

Until recently, food arriving at British supermarkets has simply been labeled “produce of the West Bank.”

Drew said the Methodist Church would immediately start its campaign to persuade supermarket owners and managers to implement the government advice, which is not a legal requirement.


The Methodist Conference also adopted a statement calling for a full arms embargo against all sides in the Middle East conflict.

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