The measures endorsed by CUPE Ontario go far beyond that. On the weekend, members explicitly agreed to support an "international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions" because of the "apartheid-like practices of the Israeli state." CUPE Ontario hopes to persuade other Canadian unions to follow suit.

Leaders of B'nai Brith Canada, the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center are calling the vote outrageous, unrepresentative of the views of most union members and inconsiderate of both the historic and present-day realities of life in Israel.

Sid Ryan, president of CUPE Ontario, says he will stand firm and follow through with specific actions, such as trying to persuade public-sector pension funds to dump Israeli bonds.

As I wrote previously, the situation is far worse than we thought. Opponents of Israel have carried out a patient and persistent anti-Zionist campaign aimed especially at leaderhsip and institutions in organizations such as unions, churches and educational institutions, and the campaign is showing its ugly results. It is questionable whether these votes represent the sentiments of the membership of these groups.

Other than overturning the boycott resolution, what is the most effective response? Some have proposed to boycott the bocotters (see - Time to boycott the boycotters). A broad education effort may be much more effective.

Following is a partial list of boycott resources: