Pittsburgh gunman guilty

I applaud the Government for its decisiveness in stopping the abuse of public bodies and public funds for divisive anti-Israel activity and hope to see it progress swiftly through Parliament”.

Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, vowed to ban public bodies from pursuing BDS at a gala ‘Israel 75’ event at The Outernet in central London last week.

She said, “We will ban those activities including at universities and local authorities. It is the politics of the student union and it demeans the bilateral relationship between the UK and Israel.”

Badenoch visited Israel in March to help drive forward a new UK-Israel free trade agreement.

She noted: “The UK and Israel are two entrepreneurial countries with an unwavering belief in democracy, freedom and capitalism. Now that the UK has left the EU we can have an even stronger and more supportive relationship. That is why I am working hard to negotiate a modern, innovative deal that will open up huge opportunities for us in financial services, tech and infrastructure.”

Badenoch also claimed Brexit will make the UK-Israel trading stronger in a positive key note address.

Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely thanked Badenoch for strengthening ties between the countries.

Robert Bowers has been found guilty of all 63 charges in the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh in 2018.

Eleven worshippers were killed and six injured in the Shabbat morning atrocity. The antisemitic attack against the synagogue was the deadliest in US history. Bowers, 50, who opened fire, armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle and multiple handguns pleaded not guilty to all charges. Jurors deliberated for less than a day. The court must decide whether to impose the death penalty.

World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder said in a statement: “The Pittsburgh jury’s conviction is a vindication of the American system of justice. It is also an unmistakable reminder of Jew hatred and racial bigotry left unchecked. We call on all federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies to take all necessary measures to protect synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the US from any similar tragedy. In the memory of those lives lost, may a dark day never be repeated.”

A Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson said: “While nothing can repair the pain inflicted, we await news of his sentence in due course, and hope that a forceful message will be sent to others like him who wish Jews dead.”