The UK is under pressure to adopt a more aggressive posture towards the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in exchange for better trade deals with the US in post-Brexit negotiations between the two countries.
Details of the post-Brexit trade negotiations-which suggest Britain is unlikely to get softer treatment than other US allies-were released last week in an 18-page document by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), led by Robert Lighthizer.
Read the last paragraph ??? #BDS https://t.co/DWrjUIyVcz
— Nadja (@Nadja96444403) March 3, 2019
Listed amongst the “negotiating objectives” of the Trump administration is a demand for the UK to take a more hostile stance towards BDS.
BDS was identified as a major threat by the US trade representative who called to “discourage politically motivated actions to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is calling for a UK arms embargo against israel after the UN investigation found evidence of war crimes #BDS https://t.co/vzpkDMUECM https://t.co/vzpkDMUECM
— #StandWithRand (@Yeson522Hen) March 4, 2019
The UK is a significantly weaker partner and it’s hard to see how it can resist the US demand to take a tougher line with regards to BDS now that Washington has included it as part of its negotiating position.
With the Conservative party looking towards the US to save the UK from the negative impact of Brexit, Washington will be pushing at an open door and is likely to see Prime Minister Theresa May as easy picking in securing favorable trade that forces the UK to concede on virtually every position.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
