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Israel seeks banning BDS in Europe

June 15, 2019 at 10:30 am

A tourist photographs a sign painted on a wall in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on 5 June 2015, calling to boycott products coming from Israeli settlements [THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images]

Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan has contacted several European countries, asking them to stop supporting and funding BDS organisations, Israeli newspaper Hayom reported on Friday.

Erdan also contacted the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, requesting that he ensures the EU halts funding to Palestinian organisations that support BDS and prevent the transfer of future funds to organisations that promote boycotts of Israel.

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper revealed that Israel is preparing for a conference against the BDS movement and it would invite EU countries to attend.

READ: Ex-Israel intel officers justify Mossad role against BDS

According to the newspaper, “some 350 participants from 30 countries are set to arrive in Israel next week for an international conference aimed at coordinating the struggle against efforts to delegitimize Israel and fight the BDS campaign.”

The newspaper reported Erdan as saying: “The anti-Semitic BDS organisations disguise themselves as human rights activists, thereby succeeding in raising millions of euros from Western states.”

He also said: “BDS organisations themselves have testified that our activity is one of the central threats they face.”

Noting to the success of the Israeli efforts against the BDS, Hayom referred to the closure of the Ramallah-based Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, describing this as a serious blow to the BDS groups.

The BDS is a global movement that adopts peaceful means to resist the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its main activities are based on boycotting and calling for the boycott of Israel.

READ: Germany festival bars US rapper for refusing to condemn BDS