Ottawa – The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) approved a resolution supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and endorsed a statement that “the ongoing occupation of Palestine be condemned,” at its annual general meeting yesterday.

The CFS, which represents 500,000 students, also approved supporting “different Palestine-solidarity organizations,” with in-kind support and financial donations of up to $500.

The resolution, passed at the student group’s annual general meeting in Ottawa, also recommended that “a statement be released to our membership condemning the recent atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.”

The vote was swiftly condemned by Hillels across Canada. In a statement, the Jewish student organization wrote: “This latest call for a boycott of Israel is anti-academic, fueled by hatred and is counterproductive to peace. The motion is rife with factual inaccuracies and historical distortions. In its obsessive campaign against exclusively one country and one community, the CFS has further marginalized the thousands of Jewish students whom it is tasked with representing.”