Several NUS National Office Bearers are taking part in the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council's Rambam Israel Fellowship program. Each year AIJAC pays for a group of student union office bearers from the Liberal and Labor party to take an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel. It is a propaganda exercise that is designed to build networks between senior Israeli officials and rising politicians in Australia. This year three National Union of Students Office Bearers from the student faction Student Unity are going on the trip, National General Secretary Isabelle Kingshott, National Welfare Officer Jack Boyd and National Ethno-Cultural Officer Daniel Nikoloski.

Student Unions should follow the lead of the Victorian College of the Arts in supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign in support of Palestine. A key part of this campaign is boycotting institutions which aim to normalise the relationship between Australia and Israel. The National Union of Students, as the national political representation of students, should be leading the way in showing solidarity with the Palestinians.

This call to boycott Israel is particularly urgent as Israel is carrying out a massacre of over 600 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Student office bearers who take part in this trip are endorsing Israel's war on Gaza. Taking an Israeli funded propaganda tour and meeting Israeli officials who are conducting this massacre is to be complicit in these war crimes. It is pleasing to note that in the last two years no National Office Bearers from the National Labor Students (the left student faction of the ALP) had taken part in this trip. However several members of Student Unity (the right student faction of the ALP) will be taking this trip in spite of Israel's most recent atrocities.

Sign the petition to call on these Office Bearers to cancel their participation in this trip. If you are a student and want to directly lobby your elected national representatives you can contact Isabelle Kingshott on 0413 700 667 or gensec@unistudent.com.au to convince her not to support Israel's genocide against the Palestinians.