New York, NY, June 20, 2007 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on leaders of labor unions from around the world to speak out against a move by UNISON, Britain's largest public services union with 1.3 million employees, to support a cultural and economic boycott of Israel.

ADL called the boycott resolution, approved today at the union's National Delegate Conference, a "biased and bigoted" attempt to unfairly punish Israel while ignoring Palestinian terrorism, rejectionism and civil strife.

 Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

Once again, there's a disconnect between the rationale for imposing boycotts on the Jewish state and the facts on the ground, especially in light of the internecine carnage in Gaza.  Like other similar resolutions passed by the British journalist and academic unions, this declaration does nothing to constructively improve the lives of Palestinians or contribute to an atmosphere of moderation and negotiations.  Rather, it blindly rehashes the positions of extremist activists.  Meanwhile, UNISON virtually ignores blatant human rights atrocities in Darfur, Zimbabwe, Iran and elsewhere.

Following the National Union of Journalists and University and College Union boycott resolutions, we have seen an outpouring of outrage from journalists and academics opposed to these actions.  We call on trade unionists in Britain and around the world to make clear that they reject UNISON's resolution and its biased and bigoted approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The UNISON resolution calls on the union's national executive council to continue to work with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the anti-Israel organization behind the boycott campaign in Britain, and with Palestinian trade unions.  It also calls for a British and UN arms embargo on Israel, among other measures.   UNISON has long been a supporter of anti-Israel groups in Britain and has passed anti-Israel resolutions at previous national conferences.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.