by Haaretz Editorial
The decision by the German parliament to condemn the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and to define it as anti-Semitic is a diplomatic achievement for those who deny the occupation and refuse negotiations, chief among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The strategic investment in public diplomacy and nurturing German guilt for the Holocaust paid off; this is the first time that a major European parliament has declared the BDS movement anti-Semitic.
Naturally, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose ministry led the battle against the BDS movement, also welcomed the Bundestag’s decision along with Netanyahu. Netanyahu said that he “hopes that this decision will lead to concrete steps, and I call on other countries to adopt similar legislation.” But this is a decision that denies reality and suppresses a nonviolent channel of opposition to the occupation. Weiterlesen