Thread by @btselem

About a month ago, we wrote along with 6 other human rights organizations based in Israel to Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, president of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, to express serious concern regarding the recent motion adopted by the Bundestag
btselem.org/20190709_lette…

that condemns the BDS movement and wrongfully equates it with antisemitism. Israeli officials welcomed the motion after lobbying for it as part of a campaign to silence criticism of Israel's policy of occupation, human rights violations, and shrinking space for civil society.

In the letter the executive directors of B'Tselem, @Gisha_Access , @AdalahEnglish @PHRIsrael @YeshDin @BtSIsrael and HaMoked, state: “Although we ourselves are not part of the BDS movement, we are extremely concerned about the growing trend to claim that those who support

Palestinian human rights are antisemitic, and we totally reject the idea that BDS as such is antisemitic. In fact, the BDS movement explicitly opposes all forms of racism, including antisemitism.”

The letter continues: “Antisemitism is real and present. It ought to be fought – and defeated – wherever it occurs. But it is a disservice to the true fight against antisemitism to equate it with BDS, which is a nonviolent tactic and movement initiated by Palestinian civil

society, and supported by tens of thousands of people internationally, as part of the struggle to end the Israeli occupation and to act for equality, freedom, dignity and justice for all Palestinians...By equating BDS and antisemitism the motion echoes the position of the

Government of Israel, which has been working hard to use false accusations of antisemitism to discredit the Palestinian struggle for freedom – while at the same time cynically associating itself with some of the most ultra-nationalist political parties in Europe, including ones

with clear racist roots. Doing so is consistent with the Government of Israel's unacceptable strategic goal, of maintaining perpetual occupation over millions of Palestinians with no political rights, while silencing any form of opposition to this injustice."