Dr. Sara Husseini from the British Palestinian Committee said the proposed legislation ‘needs to be viewed as part of the broader attempts by the UK Government to shield Israel from accountability while cutting down spaces for Palestinians to speak about their history, about their daily lived experiences of oppression, and advocate for their individual and collective rights here in the UK.’
Be not troubled, it’s only collateral damage
As I was writing this piece, Radio Four’s news came on reporting that:
‘Israel has killed three leaders of Islamic Jihad militant group in an overnight air raid on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials said at least nine other people, including women and children, also died.’
The woman and children – nine in total – only died, no-one killed them. Apparently.
We can expect ever more repressive measures as the pincer-movement – the two Acts and the likely-as-not anti-boycott law – tighten their grip on public protest. And our government will continue to cosy-up to Israel, seeing no evil, hearing no evil, but allowing what is evil to speak its name, and be applauded, even rewarded, for it. From the Guardian, 21 March 2023:
The UK and Israel have signed a long-term agreement strengthening ties in the fields of defence, security and technology following plans announced last year to put relations between the two countries on an elevated footing.
The timing of Tuesday’s agreement is controversial since it will be seen as a mark of approval for Israel’s far-right government, which has put settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank at the top of its agenda and faces a massive backlash over plans to neuter the role of the judiciary.
Bernard Spiegal 
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