The National Union of Students has reinstated its Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policy towards Israel but with an amendment pledging not to "target" Jewish and Israeli students.

The NEC passed a motion for it “continue to support the Palestinian-led call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions of Israel, along with civil society, human rights organisation, and trade unions, until it complies with basic tenets of international law.”

But it also approved an amendment saying it must "not target Israeli citizens, particularly Israeli students".

The amendment, which the JC understands was passed unanimously, also calls for NUS “to ensure that any BDS activity does not target or impact Jewish students’ ability to study on their campus", adding the the availability of Kosher food, religious items must not be affected.

It also calls on the NUS to "ensure a zero-tolerance approach" to antisemitism or "hostile environments, where Jewish students feel uncomfortable during campus BDS debates”.

Liron Velleman, campaigns officer for the Union of Jewish Students, said he was “saddened, yet unsurprised" the BDS motion passed.

“This motion has been passed through the backdoor, with only 30 members voting, rather than up to 1,000 delegates at National Conference, which has never passed BDS policy," he said.

“It’s a sorry state of affairs that NUS NEC needed to add an amendment to protect Jewish and Israeli students, including a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism, from a policy that has a history of targeting, victimising and marginalising Jewish and Israeli students.

He added the UJS expected the NUS to adhere to the broader International Holocaust Remembrance Association's definition of antisemitism.

In response to a tweet by NUS’s LGBT officer pouring scorn on the idea that a BDS policy was “divisive”, Izzy Lenga, an outgoing NUS vice president of NUS said: “Jewish students have been saying this for years - including our national representative body, UJS. Maybe it’s time to take our voices seriously?”