German parliament condemns BDS as anti-Semitic

TALI FEINBERG

South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) National Chairperson Ben Swartz, and Rowan Polovin, the chair of the Cape council, applauded the move, saying it carried weight especially because of Germany’s dark past. “We call upon the ANC, whose foreign policy and position towards the Jewish state is dictated by the BDS movement, to grasp the consequences of its alignment with an anti-Semitic fringe organisation,” they said.

The SAZF rejected the “disingenuous arguments” by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s advisor, Zane Dangor, that many Jews endorse the BDS movement and the downgrade of diplomatic relations between Israel and South Africa.

“The overwhelming majority of Jews in South Africa are vociferously opposed to the ANC’s unique discrimination and sanction of the one and only Jewish state amongst all the countries of the world,” they said.

“The German Parliament stated that BDS campaigns are a modern echo of ‘the most terrible chapter in German history’, and are reminiscent of Nazi campaigns against Jews. The SAZF calls on the ANC to consider the consequences, whether intended or not, of its alliances and actions, and where they may lead.”

The move in Germany came about after Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing Christian Democratic Union submitted the resolution together with the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the Free Democratic Party, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The resolution, titled “Resisting the BDS movement decisively – fighting anti-Semitism”, stated, “The argumentation patterns and methods used by the BDS movement are anti-Semitic.”

The motion is non-binding, and stipulates that in light of the Bundestag’s recognition of the importance of combating anti-Semitism, Germany must resolutely condemn calls to boycott Israel.

It also said that the BDS campaign calling for Israeli products to be labelled with “don’t buy” stickers was reminiscent of the Nazi-era boycott of Jewish businesses, known in German as Judenboykott, which used slogans such as, “Don’t buy from Jews”.

The statement adds that calls for a boycott are also an attempt to restrict freedom of opinion, art and science, and are among the obstacles to a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“This is an important step on the part of the German parliament,” said local anti-Semitism expert Professor Milton Shain. “Although the resolution is non-binding, it opens up a new chapter. Time will tell if these ideas about BDS move beyond Germany.”

On the other hand, he points out that, “Sixty Israeli and North American Jewish scholars have signed a letter decrying the appellation of anti-Semitism to BDS. In their view, boycott is a political tool and acceptable.

“The bottom line is that in all the BDS propaganda I have seen, it is far from clear if it accepts the Jewish State. That is its prerogative. But, as we have seen of late, rejection of the Jewish State is increasingly being defined as anti-Semitic.”

Meanwhile, Hamas official Dr Basem Naim said, “The resolution is regrettable and marks a black day in the history of human rights and freedom of expression. Germany is held responsible for its historic fault against the Jewish people, and for the enormous suffering they endured during the last century. However, Germany must not correct its fault at the expense of the Palestinian people, rights, and freedom struggle against Israeli occupation.

“The Jewish people and the Israeli occupation are not the same. Therefore, we condemn passing this unfair resolution by the German Bundestag that is against the Palestinian people’s right to resist the Israeli occupation, which is the most terrible occupation in history, with all means possible, given that boycott is a peaceful means of resistance against the Israeli occupation.”

BDS South Africa re-tweeted the statement of its international movement, saying that the “unconstitutional resolution” was anti-Palestinian and unhelpful in the fight against “real anti-Jewish racism”.

“BDS targets complicity not identity. The academic and cultural boycott of Israel is strictly institutional, and does not target individual Israelis,” the movement said in a statement posted online.

Most Israeli politicians welcomed the resolution. Said Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, “This is a crushing victory for the truth, and a great achievement in the struggle against Israel’s detractors,” while Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid said it was an “important and just step. BDS is the modern manifestation of an ancient hatred. Now is the time for the rest of Europe to follow Germany’s lead.”

But former Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Ilan Baruch, who heads the think tank Policy Working Group, opposed the motion. He has written to Germany’s former Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, arguing that, “In Germany, permeated with guilt toward the Jews and Israel, equating BDS – however much we oppose it – and anti-Semitism has no moral basis.

“There are anti-Semites who are friends of the Netanyahu government,” Baruch wrote, citing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbáan and Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache as examples, “and there are Jewish supporters of BDS. The fact that there are anti-Semites who are present in the BDS movement doesn’t make it anti-Semitic. It is anti-Israel.”