Israel, US urge EU members to take action against boycott movement

Israeli and U.S. officials warned Wednesday of a rise in attacks on Jews in western Europe and urged European Union leers to stop funding organizations that support an international boycott of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. Gil Erdan, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, said before meeting with a group of European lawmakers that EU should make sure its money does t go to groups that support Palestinian-led boycott movement.

Activists hiding ir true nda

In Brussels, Erdan also released a report cataloguing alleged examples of BDS branches or activists using anti-Semitic content in ir campaigns. He accused movement activists of hiding ir true nda behind liberal values such as protecting human rights and freedom of expression.

grassroots BDS campaign, founded in 2005, calls for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israeli businesses, cultural institutions, and universities.  campaign compares itself to anti-aparid movement targeting South Africa in second half of 20th century and its nviolent mess has resonated with audiences around world.

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But Israel says movement, which has among its goals return of millions of Palestinian refugees and ir descendants to former homes in Israel, masks a deeper aim of delegitimizing or even destroying country. “We have proven beyond a doubt that BDS is an anti-Semitic campaign led by supporters of terror with one purpose: elimination of Jewish state,” Erdan said.

report included a large number of examples ministry of strategic affairs said were gared from BDS activists’ social media, for instance, a cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a butcher’s axe flanked by Orthodox Jews and confronting Palestinian stone-throwers.

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"BDS leers deny allegations of anti-Semitism“

With its alliances with fascist and anti-Semitic forces around world, Israel’s far-right regime is in position to preach about fighting anti-Jewish bigotry,” Omar Barghouti, a BDS founder, said. “Its propaganda claims against anti-racist BDS movement for Palestinian rights are as credible as Trump’s climate protection credentials.”

Erdan spoke alongside U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Elan Carr at a news conference to launch report, titled “Behind Mask: Anti-Semitic Nature of BDS Exposed,” that urges world leers to stop funding groups linked to movement. “I am here to express United States’ position that this is anti-Semitism, and we stand unequivocally with State of Israel in combatting this scourge,” Carr said.

Israel called on EU last year to stop funding more than a dozen European and Palestinian n-governmental organizations, alleging some of NGOs h links to militant groups.

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European Union opposes BDS movement and denies funding boycott activities, but has defended movement’s activities as falling under right to free speech.

Erdan said he hopes EU’s departing Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, will cut ties with BDS-linked organizations before leaving her post. In July, she said bloc was t funding work related to boycotting activities.

In a statement released Wednesday, EU said it has t changed its position regarding BDS. “While it upholds its policy of clearly distinguishing between territory of State of Israel and territories occupied by it since 1967, EU rejects any attempts to isolate Israel and does t support calls for a boycott,” it said.

According to numbers compiled by Tel Aviv University, anti-Semitic attacks worldwide rose 13% from 2017 to 2018. United States, France, Britain, and Germany h most attacks. 

Anti-Semitism has become a major issue

In a survey last year for EU’s Fundamental Rights ncy, nearly 85 per cent of Jewish respondents said y considered hate crimes to be a serious problem.

Carr said anti-Semitism has become a major eugh issue in Europe that many Jews are thinking about emigrating. “se numbers should be disturbing to absolutely everybody,” Carr said. “t just to Jews. This isn’t Right or Left, it’s t Jews or n-Jews. body, rmal person should think this is acceptable.”

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