Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:43 pm on 22 September 2020.
Trefnydd, can I call for a statement on public sector procurement advice that the Welsh Government issues? Your response to a recent written question on this matter gives me a great deal of cause for concern in that you've suggested that you might be issuing a new procurement advice notice to the public sector in Wales, and in that answer that you issued, you specifically referred to it being potentially targeted at the nation of Israel, because you referred to it dealing with places where there are territorial disputes.
Now, of course, of the countless places around the world where there are territorial disputes, that answer that you issued specifically mentioned the Jewish state. Now, you'll be aware that the Welsh Government has accepted and adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. That refers to not doing anything that could result in double standards being applied to the nation of Israel. But, in singling out Israel in your answer to a question on procurement advice, it suggests that that might well be the case should you issue that particular piece of advice.
So, I'm very concerned about the message that that sends to the Jewish community in Wales. I know that the Welsh Government does not want to send hostile messages to the Jewish community and wants to address the antisemitism that is out there. So, I would urge you to look again at the procurement advice notice that you are preparing, to make sure that your proposals do not impinge on the good work that's been done here in Wales to deal with the rise of antisemitism in our country.