Canadian Trade School Announces, Retracts Ban on Israeli Students

The Island School of Building Arts in British Columbia rejected the application of an Israeli student who wished study woodworking at the school.

According to emails obtained by the Jerusalem Post, the school says flatly that it was "not accepting applications from Israel" "due to the conflict and illegal settlement activity." In further correspondence, a school official expressed regret but contended that "This is a question of staying in line with our moral compass, which will always be important to us. We are still inclusive and cannot support that which is not inclusive."

After the story became known, B'nai Brith Canada interceded and the school backed off with apologies. As B'nai Brith observes, it is illegal in BC to discriminate on basis of national origin.

In conclusion, the BDS movement targets institutions, not individuals.