Photo from Deposit Photos The Los Angeles Times published an editorial on August 4 arguing that the United Teachers Los Angeles union’s motion to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is “neither needed nor wanted.”
The motion, which was introduced by two local UTLA chapters in May, expressed “our solidarity with the Palestinian people and call for Israel to end bombardment of Gaza and stop displacement at Sheikh Jarrah” and endorsed “the international campaign for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against apartheid in Israel.” UTLA’s House of Representatives will vote on the motion in September and their board of directors will soon issue a recommendation on how the House should vote.
The editorial called on the union to “reject the measure, which can do no real good for the union or schools, and certainly could hurt both.” The Times argued their stance isn’t meant to be commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or on the BDS movement, acknowledging that the conflict is “very complicated.” “Should the United States be giving more than $3 billion a year in military aid to a relatively prosperous nation such as Israel, whose treatment of Palestinians has been likened to apartheid? Should academics and scientists be cut off from cooperation that could lead to discoveries and save lives because of one of many global disputes?
“One thing is for sure. UTLA is not well-situated to answer these and a multitude of other questions raised by the movement in any expert or nuanced way, and the world is hardly waiting to hear what a California teachers union thinks of the matter.”
The editorial also noted that various Jewish students and their parents view the BDS movement as antisemitic and wonder why the union is looking to endorse a “movement targeting Israel” while “other nations have less religious tolerance and worse human rights records. A vote to support BDS would be seen as hostile and undermine these families’ confidence in their teachers. Favoring BDS also would probably erode public support for the union in a metropolitan area with the second-biggest Jewish population in the U.S.”
The editorial concluded that “the union would be better off keeping its nose out of Middle Eastern affairs that don’t affect its members or the schools, and in which it has no expertise.”
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted, “The #BDS movement aims to demonize and delegitimize Israel. Today, @LATimes astutely observed that @UTLAnow’s upcoming vote on this matter is misplaced and could do more harm than good to teachers, unions, international relations, and Israeli citizens.”
The #BDS movement aims to demonize and delegitimize Israel. Today, @LATimes astutely observed that @UTLAnow’s upcoming vote on this matter is misplaced and could do more harm than good to teachers, unions, international relations, and Israeli citizens. https://t.co/9EtGuOweBO
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) August 4, 2021
The Simon Wiesenthal Center similarly tweeted that the Times “is right. Complex Middle East situation beyond [the] grasp, purview, or agenda of teachers unions. Their responsibilities are clear & daunting –educate our children with basic skills they need to thrive in real world.”
LA Times @latimes is right. Complex Middle East situation beyond grasp, purview, or agenda of teachers unions. Their responsibilities are clear & daunting –educate our children with basic skills they need to thrive in real world. https://t.co/BwP0mOtLUo
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) August 5, 2021
At the time the motion was passed, UTLA issued a statement condemning antisemitism “and oppression in all its forms” and said that the motion does not reflect the opinion of the union as a whole.
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