BDS condemns Washington’s anti-Semitism accusations

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has condemned the statements of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which he described the movement as “anti-Semitic”.

“The administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to discredit the movement,” the BDS movement announced in a press release, of which Anadolu Agency received a copy.

The statement added that the BDS movement consistently rejects all forms of racism, including prejudice against Jews.

The statement indicated: “The fanatic Trump-Netanyahu alliance is intentionally conflating opposition to Israel’s regime of occupation, colonisation and apartheid against Palestinians and calls for nonviolent pressure to end this regime on the one hand, with anti-Jewish racism on the other, in order to suppress advocacy of Palestinian rights under international law.”

READ: Netanyahu has ‘warm’ talk with Biden, 10 days after Democrat declares victory

Pompeo announced the US Department of State’s decision to list the BDS movement as an anti-Semitic organisation in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

The BDS movement, which is active on an international scale, seeks to: “Achieve freedom, justice and equality, and works to protect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”

The movement was able to achieve several landmarks internationally, which inconvenienced Israel, prompting it to ban BDS members from entering its territory.