clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

US Republicans call for FBI probe into alleged BDS terrorism links

July 3, 2021 at 11:57 am

A protest banner against Israel saying ‘Free Palestine’ and calling for the support of BDS is seen in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 11 September 2018 [James Williamson/AMA/Getty Images]

Three Republican House members have called for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate alleged connections between the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) and terrorism.

According to Mondoweiss, Representative Tim Burchett cosigned a letter with representatives Greg Steube and Maria Salazar and sent it to the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.

The letter claims, according to Mondoweiss, that there are “serious concerns” that Americans who donate to BDS-affiliated organisations could be financing terrorist groups.

The letter cited the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) claiming that they have links to “designated terror groups” like Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad.

Opinion: Don’t look away from Palestine

Mondoweiss reported that US President Biden has stated that he opposes the BDS movement. “I agree. We must stand with our ally Israel,” Mondoweiss reported him posting on Twitter.

The website also cited Burchett’s response when asked about the BDS movement during a 2018 interview: “They totally disgust me. I remain loyal to Israel,” he asserted.

In March, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the pro-Israeli Jewish National Fund along with 12 American citizens targeting the BNC and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) for alleged connections to terrorism. The judge, however, said the claims were “not persuasive”.

Opinion: The already ‘messy break-up’ of American Jews over Israel is getting messier