Sadiq Khan: why I changed my mind about boycotts
LABOUR’S LONDON MAYORAL candidate Sadiq Khan has explained why he switched from lobbying for sanctions against Israel to opposing boycotts of the country.
The JC revealed on Monday that Mr Khan had repeatedly called on ministers to impose sanctions in 2009, despite claiming throughout his current campaign for City Hall that he had consistently opposed such moves.
But, the following day, the Tooting MP said he had changed his mind after studying the evidence and that he now believed “we must not turn our face against Israel.
“The evidence clearly shows that boycott, sanctions and divestment against Israel do not help us achieve peace.
“As the boycotts of Sodastream International showed, boycotts only hurt working people and do nothing to build a lasting peace in the region.”
Last week, Sodastream laid off the last 70 Palestin- ian workers at its West Bank factory, which was forced to close as a result of pressure from the BDS movement. Mr Khan said he wanted to “send amessage around the
world” by being a Muslim mayor “who does more to protect Jewish Londoners from antisemitism than any mayor ever has before”.
A letter sent by a parliamentary aide to a meeting of the Stop the War Coalition in February 2009 had outlined the lobbying carried out by Mr Khan as he called for sanctions to be imposed.
The letter, sent around the time of Israel’s Cast Lead operation in Gaza, explained that the former minister had “regularly” been in contact with then Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Middle East Minister Bill Rammell, as well as Foreign Office officials.
Explaining his actions, Mr Khan said: “Like most people, I was deeply concerned by the Gaza War in 2008 and 2009. More than 1,000 people died — both Israeli and Palestinian — and there was a real risk that the conflict could have escalated even further.
“In 2008 I met with Foreign Office Ministers including David Miliband to urge them to do everything possible to get a commitment to an urgent ceasefire from both sides.
“I am committed to a peaceful twostate solution, and I do not believe that boycotts, sanctions and divestments will help us get there.”
Mr Khan repeated his claim from a JC interview last September in which he said he would not use City Hall as a “pulpit to talk about foreign affairs”.
“My job as mayor will be to make London better for all Londoners —– including Jewish Londoners.”
Mr Khan launched hi selection manifesto on Wednesday. It included a pledge to make tackling antisemitism a key priority for the Metropolitan Police.
He explained: “I know only too well what it feels like to be discriminated against just because of your background.
“I will always stand up for London’s Jewish community and against prejudice and hatred.”