HERALD SUN
Anthony Galloway
THE embattled Health Services Union has invited its members to embrace the anti-Israel boycott movement, prompting a furious response from Jewish leaders.
The controversy comes as the union tries to rebuild its reputation after the reigns of disgraced former national secretaries Kathy Jackson and Craig Thomson.
A motion passed by the union’s Victorian No. 4 Branch offers its support for the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich called on all union members to reject the “divisive” and “misguided” motion.
“It is alarming that the HSU, instead of advocating in matters of concern for their members, has decided to promote a fervently vicious and one-sided resolution that unfairly lays all of the blame at the feet of Israel,” Dr Abramovich said.
The branch’s secretary, Paul Elliott, defended the motion, saying he hoped it would help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.