Two US police departments decided over the past week to cancel their participation in a program that involves visiting Israel and meeting Israeli police officers, following public pressure by a coalition of progressive organizations, led by Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS).
In a complaint letter to Inspector-General Ronnie Al-Sheikh, Israeli police confirmed that the decision to cancel was made following pressure exerted by the activists of the Israeli boycott movement in the United States "who convinced the police stations that the training received by US and other officers in Israel supports a culture of violence, hostility and hatred, thus attendees will return to their country more violent, aggressive and hostile against US citizens and foreign visitors. Therefore, the Israeli police principles do not suit them.”
The program discussed is a week-long seminar in Israel, during which participating police officers from across the United States learn how Israeli law enforcement deals with the threat of terrorism. Attending officers and policemen meet with Israeli police officers and exchange experiences.
It is funded and organized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and this is the first time that police departments decide to boycott the program in nearly 20 years.
The two departments’ decisions were hailed as a victory by boycott groups.
A number of groups affiliated with the BDS movement and others focused on domestic law enforcement issues in the US claiming the program inspires the police departments and other law enforcement agencies to adopt harsher policies commonly used in Israel.
Jewish Voice for Peace pushed the US police departments to cancel their participation and released a press statement stating: “For the first time in 20 years, the all expense-paid trips to Israel where American law enforcement are trained by the Israeli military and police have run into a snag.”
As a result of the campaign, Vermont State Police, responsible for law enforcement in approximately half of the northeastern state and Northampton, Massachusetts, police department informed the ADL office in Boston that they will not take part in the program, which is scheduled to begin in Israel within days.
The movement boycotting the program is currently working to convince other police departments to back out of the program.
“It was a total focus on hate crimes, the development of white supremacy rising in our nation, how to respond to that,” Massachusetts Police Chief Jody Kasper said of that trip.
