- Why doesn’t [PSC] support a two state solution to the Middle East conflict, when for decades it has been recognised that two states for two peoples, Israel and Palestine, is the just solution to the conflict?
PSC does not take a position either in support or against a one state or two state solution, but insists that any solution must be based on the protection of human rights and upholding the collective rights of the Palestinian people as recognised under international law. We note that increasing numbers of commentators, as well as the British government, are recognising that Israel’s ongoing settlement expansion and annexation of Palestinian land is eroding any possibility of a ‘two-state solution’.
- Why won’t [PSC] adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism? How does it recognise and tackle antisemitism in its ranks without accepting the definition adopted by a host of governments and the major UK political parties?
The IHRA definition is deeply controversial due to its conflation of antisemitism with legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights and critique of violation of those rights by successive Israeli governments. The definition has been criticised on that basis, and the threat it poses to freedom of expression, by eminent lawyers including Geoffrey Robertson KC, Hugh Tomlinson KC and Sir Stephen Sedley, by over 300 scholars of antisemitism and the Holocaust, and even by its own author, Kenneth Stern.
- What is [PSC] doing to tackle incidents such as the recent one when Brixton PSC called on its supporters to root out “Zionist” work colleagues and have them fired?
Brixton PSC shared a post on its Instagram page from another organisation about how to address Zionism. The post did not reflect the values of PSC; the branch was contacted and immediately removed the post.