A new, independent organization has launched in the U.K. committed to the separation of the State of Israel and its policies. Independent Jewish Voices has been also called out for their haute contingency of mostly writers, actors, doctors, lawyers and among whose prominent list includes celebrities Stephen Fry, Harold Pinter, Mike Leigh, and Zoe Wanamaker. Ironically enough, IJV's declaration describes the group as "from diverse backgrounds, occupations, and affiliations." Given the running list of signatories, I'm not so sure about the social and occupation diversity factor.
And while the ability to engage in a healthy, intellectual debate on Israel's policies is important and critical, the situation in the Middle East unfortunately can't simply be broken down into a declaration of universal human rights. It's much more complex and it's a Western luxury en vogue for affluent Bourgeois Brits to think differently.
IJV, also coined "Jews For Genocide" by British columnist Melanie Phillips sponsored their first speak-out this past Monday and was met with much controversy, most of which was written up in The Guardian.