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Last update - 00:00 18/04/2007
Guardian editor condemns U.K. journalists' call to boycott Israel
By Charlotte Halle, Haaretz Correspondent

The editor of the London Guardian on Tuesday condemned as "misguided" a resolution passed by a British journalists' union last week that called for a boycott of Israeli goods.

"The Guardian disapproves of these kinds of boycotts and does not think they serve a useful purpose. It was a misguided motion," editor of the British daily Alan Rusbridger told Haaretz by telephone last night.

U.K. Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells also criticized the decision. "I was disappointed to hear that on 13 April 2007 the National Union of Journalists (NJU) voted to boycott goods from Israel," he said.
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"The government believes that, as a friend of both Israel and the Palestinians, we can best exert influence by encouraging both sides to take the steps needed for progress toward peace through close engagement," he added.

On Friday, at its annual meeting, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK voted for a boycott of Israeli goods in protest of last year's Lebanon war and Israeli "aggression" in the territories.

The vote, which carried 66 to 54, read: "This ADM [annual delegate meeting] calls for a boycott of Israeli goods similar to those boycotts in the struggles against apartheid South Africa led by trade unions and the TUC [Trades Union Congress] to demand sanctions to be imposed on Israel by the British government," according to reports in the British press. It followed an earlier motion, which was passed by a larger majority, condemning the "savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel" last year and the "slaughter of civilians by Israeli troops in Gaza and the IDF's continued attacks inside Lebanon following the defeat of its army by Hezbollah."

The union has a membership of nearly 40,000 British journalists, who work in all the leading media outlets in the UK.

"My guess is that the majority of working journalists would feel very uneasy and hostile to the motion which was published in their names," one senior British journalist told Haaretz. "It's just an embarrassment for us all," said another.

Members of the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel discussed Tuesday at their annual general meeting whether to submit a formal response to the NUJ, said the organization's chairman Simon McGregor-Wood, of ABC News, who is British. "The resolutions seem to go against some of the core ethics of journalism that we are here to protect, such as balance and objectivity. I don't think any representative body of journalists should be taking a side," he said.

Much of Tuesday's FPA meeting was devoted to discussing further demonstrations to protest the kidnapping of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, thought to have been forced from his Gaza apartment by masked men on March 12.

It is not the first time the NUJ has made political moves likely to be out of sync with its membership. In 1986 its delegate conference sent a "telegram of condolence" to Colonel Muammar Gadhafi after the U.S. bombing of Libya, a book about the 100-year-old union recalls.

The British journalists' union boycott follows a short-lived academic boycott a year ago by Britain's university lecturers' union, which was overturned four days after it passed. The Church of England synod has also called for disinvestment from Israel.

Zvi Heifetz, Israel's ambassador in London, commented on the NUJ motion to Haaretz: "It is a shame that an organization that represents journalists threatens to boycott goods from Israel only one day after worrying rumors surfaced about the fate of one of the union's own members. The timing of this move is also peculiar in light of the recent bi-weekly meetings between PM Olmert and President Abbas and the attempts made by the Arab world and Israel to revive the peace process, based on the Saudi initiative."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: "We obviously view such activity negatively, but I wouldn't overstate the significance of this event.
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  1.   Journalists Responsibilities 06:57  |  Double Click 18/04/07
  2.   UK journalists should know: Palestinian Terrorists are ungrateful 07:46  |  Vittorio 18/04/07
  3.   His "condemnation" doesn`t worth a penny 08:51  |  Shlomo from Tel Aviv 18/04/07
  4.   Arabs kidnapped UK journalist and they find a way to BLAME JEWS 09:04  |  amir 18/04/07
  5.   stupid journos 09:11  |  History 18/04/07
  6.   UK "Journalist" Union should be boycotted 09:17  |  Konrad 18/04/07
  7.   uk 09:42  |  michel 18/04/07
  8.   stinks 09:47  |  Nerys 18/04/07
  9.   Boycott 09:50  |  Me 18/04/07
  10.   hahaha Shlomo from Tel Aviv 10:30  |  Mark B. 18/04/07
  11.   send all UK journalists home 10:30  |  crappy 18/04/07
  12.   U.K. JOURNALISTS CALL FOR BOYCOTT. 10:41  |  David Nigel Braham 18/04/07
  13.   GRATEbrittish journos vote to Boycott ISRAEL 11:06  |  Ari ben Yisrael 18/04/07
  14.   Disgraceful 11:15  |  Factual 18/04/07
  15.   Me.The Manchester Guardian and Ms Goldenberg hit an all time low 11:21  |  PETERSM 18/04/07
  16.   THANKS JOURNALISTS 11:25  |  indrajaya 18/04/07
  17.   Ha`aretz interpretation of democratic vote 11:44  |  raymond deane 18/04/07
  18.   British Media Encourage Antisemitism 12:00  |  Semsem 18/04/07
  19.   The Guardian of all news organizations is the first to promote 12:00  |  Leah 18/04/07
  20.   thank you, thank you, thank you 12:00  |  Khalid 18/04/07
  21.   Amir..how do you know it is Arabs who kidnap Jonston? 12:01  |  KA 18/04/07
  22.   #16 Indonesian Atrocities: No British Boycott? 12:03  |  Laila 18/04/07
  23.   Gazans murder BBC reporter, but let`s boycott Israel anyway! 12:08  |  Dan 18/04/07
  24.   Leah 19 can you share your evidence? 12:20  |  Michael 18/04/07
  25.   KA The PA accused a Pal branch of Al Qeida of the kidnapping 12:37  |  PETERSM 18/04/07
  26.   RAYMOND DEANNE.you lost out in your own union 12:43  |  PETER SM 18/04/07
  27.   INDIRAJAYA THANKS JOURNALISTS FOR IGNORING THE INDONESIAN PAPUA 12:48  |  PETER SM 18/04/07
  28.   #17 Raymond Dean 13:01  |  sel 18/04/07
  29.   #17 raymonde spells out his "productive friction OF CONTRADICTION 13:14  |  paul harris 18/04/07
  30.   #21,KA knows Shin Beth kidnap Jonston? 13:25  |  Shin Beth Chief, 008 18/04/07
  31.   Mark B 13:32  |  Lynn 18/04/07
  32.   Why is codemnation to Haaretz and not on its pages? 13:39  |  Dr O 18/04/07
  33.   Less then 100 people # 16 13:41  |  Lynn 18/04/07
  34.   # 21 Khaled 14:21  |  ChanahS 18/04/07
  35.   # 16 Laila 14:25  |  ChanahS 18/04/07
  36.   Response to Lynn 14:25  |  Mark B. 18/04/07
  37.   Guardian worried about Israel limiting access of UK "journalists" 14:42  |  Herbert Kaine 18/04/07
  38.   #16 Indrajaya - what will YOU do for this "just cause"? 14:43  |  Yonatan 18/04/07
  39.   Guardian is MAIN cause of incitement against Jews via"Anti Zion 14:44  |  Alan-SA 18/04/07
  40.   # 22, # 27, LAILA, PETRE MS 14:45  |  indrajaya 18/04/07
  41.   The Guardian is one of several news organizations in Britain, ... 14:56  |  Nadav 18/04/07
  42.   Boycotting Israel 15:09  |  ChanahS 18/04/07
  43.   "It`s just an embarrassment for us all," 15:10  |  Star of David 18/04/07
  44.   To Khalid 15:16  |  DAVID KAPLAN 18/04/07
  45.   To KA 15:19  |  DAVID KAPLAN 18/04/07
  46.   Indrajaya # 40 15:22  |  ChanahS 18/04/07
  47.   Attention UK Jews & Israelis 15:25  |  Alon Fisher 18/04/07
  48.   16# Indrajaya You bastards murdered my family 15:31  |  Lyeng chin wang 18/04/07
  49.   21#NO KA 15:34  |  alonitzafoni 18/04/07
  50.   No one reads the Guardian anyway-check out the circulation figure 15:37  |  British academic 18/04/07
  51.   Lynn 15:38  |  Tamir Gaza 18/04/07
  52.   indrajaya china must nuke indonesia 15:39  |  ling hu 18/04/07
  53.   The Guardian is now more pro-Jewish than Haaretz 15:55  |  ScotGuy 18/04/07
  54.   #20 Khalid 15:56  |  Itsik 18/04/07
  55.   to 49 you are wellcome in many places in the world. 15:59  |  mb 18/04/07
  56.   The Guardian is an enemy of the state of Israel 16:03  |  SystemF 18/04/07
  57.   HANKERING AND WANKERING FOR DHIMMITUDE 16:03  |  B 18/04/07
  58.   #6 Here in the U.S..... 16:08  |  John Allen 18/04/07
  59.   Misguided and unfortunate call by the NUJ 16:09  |  Tosefta 18/04/07
  60.   58#IT HAS BECOME BRITANISTAN 16:14  |  alonitzafoni 18/04/07
  61.   #16 Thank you, I did not know how to 16:15  |  John Allen 18/04/07
  62.   #23 I am soooooo glad to hear from a British 16:21  |  John Allen 18/04/07
  63.   #21 You sound like a defense attorney!! 16:25  |  John Allen 18/04/07
  64.   #46 Alonitzafoni; What a terrible thing to say! 16:29  |  Alicia 18/04/07
  65.   65#alicia Britannia rules 16:51  |  alonitzafoni 18/04/07
  66.   I heard the Palestinians kidnapped British journalist 16:53  |  Vogel 18/04/07
  67.   # 49, LYENG CHIN WANG 17:02  |  indrajaya 18/04/07
  68.   FPA RUNS THE WORLD 17:07  |  SimplyPUT 18/04/07
  69.   re 40 Right indrajaya ! ABNORMAL , Israel is fighting ETs !!! 17:07  |  Follclick 18/04/07
  70.   INDRAGAYER MOCKS A REFUGEE 17:11  |  alonitzafoni 18/04/07
  71.   Incompetent Censor 17:13  |  Me 18/04/07
  72.   # 46, ALONITZAFONI 17:13  |  indrajaya 18/04/07
  73.   INDRAJAYA Indonesia is doomed 17:14  |  ling hu 18/04/07
  74.   # 68 Indrijaya 17:14  |  ChanahS 18/04/07
  75.   To british academic 17:21  |  Star of David 18/04/07
  76.   RE #16 TO FAKE INDRAJAYA 17:21  |  REAL INDRAJAYA 18/04/07
  77.   Let NUJ journalists face their `embarassement` in jolly ole` Eng. 17:25  |  Chick Corea 18/04/07
  78.   RE#16 TO FAKE INDRAJYA: How dare u rebel against the Prophet ? 17:27  |  REAL INDRAJAYA 18/04/07
  79.   Tosefta # 60 Good Points 17:29  |  Jeff Northridge 18/04/07
  80.   RE#16 TO FAKE INDRAJYA: Dishonoring Allah pact with Israel !! 17:31  |  REAL INDRAJAYA 18/04/07
  81.   #16 17:33  |  Moshe 18/04/07
  82.   # 77, FAKE INDRAJAYA 17:34  |  indrajaya 18/04/07
  83.   British Journalists 17:39  |  Michael T 18/04/07
  84.   Jews and UK 17:44  |  Michael T 18/04/07
  85.   Journalists who ignore the facts 17:46  |  KUTW 18/04/07
  86.   49 lyeung chin wang & 54 ling hu 17:54  |  curious 18/04/07
  87.   ling hu # 74 Go China! 17:55  |  Jeff Northridge 18/04/07
  88.   David Kaplan..dogs don`t call humans dogs 17:57  |  KA 18/04/07
  89.   NUJ boycott 18:00  |  Abtalyon 18/04/07
  90.   `Guardian` is the main cause of this boycott 18:06  |  Jake 18/04/07
  91.   20. Khalid: the bullies 18:08  |  KUTW 18/04/07
  92.   Mark B., der Stuermer was also a `quality publication` 18:15  |  Jake 18/04/07
  93.   Question 18:17  |  ChanahS 18/04/07
  94.   #72 Totally correct 18:36  |  ScotGuy 18/04/07
  95.   time@nuj.org.uk 18:38  |  Lynn 18/04/07
  96.   Tamir Gaza 18:40  |  Lynn 18/04/07
  97.   Disregard for the truth 18:45  |  KUTW 18/04/07
  98.   40,000 members - only 120 voted? 18:48  |  Jeremy 18/04/07
  99.   Objectivity and its discontents (Jeff Northridge #60) 19:05  |  Tosefta 18/04/07
  100.   oh Lynn 19:09  |  Tamir Gaza 18/04/07
  101.   Boycott 19:14  |  Ralph 18/04/07
  102.   British Press 19:21  |  Michael T 18/04/07
  103.   KA - Yes Israeli involvement is ludicrous and ruled out 19:30  |  David Israel 18/04/07
  104.   Times of London columnist M.Gove explains why he quit the NUJ 19:33  |  PETER SM 18/04/07
  105.   INDIRAJAYA.#40 Papuans have NEVER threatened Indonesia 19:45  |  PETER SM 18/04/07
  106.   87#Jeff N 19:47  |  ling hu 18/04/07
  107.   Tamir Gaza 20:13  |  Lynn 18/04/07
  108.   Alicia #64 it`s called.... 20:30  |  Lynn 18/04/07
  109.   I am not saying the Shin Beth did it, but it couldn`t be ruled 20:31  |  KA 18/04/07
  110.   KA #109 20:51  |  David Israel 18/04/07
  111.   More putrid appeasement 20:59  |  Reality Check 18/04/07
  112.   #109 KA Rules of ruling out 21:03  |  Joseph 18/04/07
  113.   #90-`Guardian` is the main cause of this boycott 21:15  |  Joseph 18/04/07
  114.   Coward Journalists 21:22  |  BET 18/04/07
  115.   some journalist bias ok 21:24  |  Pssd Off American 18/04/07
  116.   Wow...that`s quite a "blast" 21:24  |  Tim 18/04/07
  117.   British "Journalists" 21:29  |  17 18/04/07
  118.   Europestan 21:30  |  ricardo 18/04/07
  119.   Lynn 21:43  |  Tamir Gaza 18/04/07
  120.   Boycott Advertisers in U.K. Papers 21:57  |  ED 18/04/07
  121.   KA = Khaled Amariyeh 22:12  |  Yonatan 18/04/07
  122.   #88 KA = Khaled Amariyeh 22:23  |  Yonatan 18/04/07
  123.   #115 POA UNIONS HAVE RULE BOOKS AND THE Y 22:30  |  paul harris 18/04/07
  124.   An interesting suggestion 22:37  |  Yonatan 18/04/07
  125.   Boycott only countries without oil 22:40  |  Yonatan 18/04/07
  126.   Perhaps these boycotting-"journalists" should go to Gaza... 22:56  |  Wendy 18/04/07
  127.   Leave Indraya in peace,he&Tosefta live in a registered partnershi 22:56  |  Absolute Sweden 18/04/07
  128.   boycott? yeah right... 23:01  |  non nono 18/04/07
  129.   Proves bias of EU "Journalists" reporting. 23:05  |  bernard ross 18/04/07
  130.   The official line why Brits won`t pay for Johnson`s release 23:15  |  Chcik Corea 18/04/07
  131.   paul harris 23:25  |  Pssd Off American 18/04/07
  132.   #46 ChanahS: Sick of listening Jews making excuses for IDF... 23:34  |  Tupac 18/04/07
  133.   #124, Yonathan, fear and boycotts 00:09  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/04/07
  134.   yonathan....KA`s words hurt you a lot..exposes 00:25  |  George 19/04/07
  135.   Not all journalists are stupid 01:07  |  ChanahS 19/04/07
  136.   Boycotting Israel part 2 01:18  |  ChanahS 19/04/07
  137.   KHALID 01:38  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/04/07
  138.   Britain Intimidated 01:58  |  Daniel 19/04/07
  139.   Cushy radicals 02:17  |  Danite 19/04/07
  140.   Britian is an Islamic facist country 04:17  |  Zody 19/04/07
  141.   #132 Tupac 04:40  |  sel 19/04/07
  142.   KA, stop barking 06:23  |  Blbce 19/04/07
  143.   why? 08:04  |  ravi 19/04/07
  144.   KHALID"even if a thousand dogs bark in their faces" 08:09  |  PETER SM 19/04/07
  145.   British Journalists 08:45  |  Connie 19/04/07
  146.   #132 THE CURIOUS TUPAC DEMANDS PROOF 09:05  |  paul harris 19/04/07
  147.   British Pro-Palestinian activists 09:21  |  ScotGuy 19/04/07
  148.   How to deal with Islamic extremism!!! //1 11:07  |  Chiang 19/04/07
  149.   How to deal with Islamic extremism.#2 11:18  |  Chaing 19/04/07
  150.   Tupac`s Selective Reasoning 16:40  |  Tex 19/04/07
  151.   Guardian would rather be shahids 16:54  |  Steve 19/04/07
  152.   Boycott 23:42  |  Reuven Schlenker 19/04/07
  153.   Boycott 03:11  |  Mountaingirl 20/04/07
  154.   Boycotting White South Africa worked 18:08  |  Toby 21/04/07
  155.   usa-forever 04:36  |  shawn dunn 26/06/09
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