German parliament denounces Israel boycott movement
Posted on 17 May 2019
The Associated Press
May 17, 2019
BERLIN — German lawmakers on Friday approved a resolution denouncing the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement against Israel, describing its methods as anti-Semitic and reminiscent of Nazi-era calls to boycott Jews.
The motion called on the German government not to support events organized by BDS or other groups that actively pursue its aims, and vowed that parliament wouldn’t finance any projects that call for a boycott of Israel or actively support the movement. It was filed by the country’s three governing parties, along with two mainstream opposition parties, and passed by a large majority.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the German parliament and expressed appreciation for its “important decision,” calling on other countries to adopt similar legislation.
The Palestinian-led BDS movement has grown in popularity overseas in recent years. It advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israeli businesses, universities and cultural institutions.
Comparing BDS to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa in years past, supporters say it uses nonviolence to resist unjust policies toward Palestinians. Israel says the movement masks its motives to delegitimize or destroy the Jewish state.
The BDS group said the “German parliament’s equation of the nonviolent BDS movement for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism is based on outright lies.”
“It’s not only anti-Palestinian McCarthyism, it is a betrayal of international law, German democracy and the fight against real anti-Jewish racism,” it added.
The German motion stated that “the pattern of argument and methods of the BDS movement are anti-Semitic.
Read in full: German parliament denounces Israel boycott movement