BDS Movement
News about economic and academic attacks against the Jewish state
“You represent American Jews, not Israelis,” interjected an audience member named Nathan. “No, I represent the United States,” responded Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.).
“This is part of a larger trend to normalize bigotry in academia,” said Club Z executive director Masha Merkulova. “The Jewish community must come together and make it clear that lies perpetuated in this forum will not be tolerated.”
“Some people have one move only: boycott. Cancel. Make-go-away. But here’s the thing, the house voted 318 to 17 to condemn the #BDS movement,” tweeted cable talk-show host and comedian Bill Maher.
The president also questioned how Jewish voters could support the Democratic Party knowing the anti-Israel bias among certain members.
“Artists for Palestine UK” pen an open letter urging a boycott of the Pop-Kultur Festival in Berlin due to support from the Israeli embassy.
Said the usually liberal political commentator: “As if the occupation came right out of the blue, that this completely peaceful people found themselves occupied. Forget about the intifadas and the suicide bombings and the rockets and how many wars.”
Publications put out by the group Miftah use highly politicized language, accusing Israel of “massacres,” “apartheid,” “summary executions” of Palestinian youth and “Judaizing” Jerusalem, according to NGO Monitor.
After rejecting entry to Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) due to their support of the anti-Israel BDS movement, Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri approved a request by Tlaib to visit her grandmother in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said the two congresswomen planned to meet with BDS groups, including one with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman stated that Israel “has every right to protect its borders against those activists in the same manner as it would bar entrants with more conventional weapons.”
“Israel has decided—we won’t enable the members of Congress to enter the country,” said Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely. “We won’t allow those who deny our right to exist in this world to enter Israel. In principle, this is a very justified decision.”
It stated that “the current draft model curriculum falls short and needs to be substantially redesigned.” Pro-Israel groups applauded the decision, though vowed to keep watch on the matter.
