14 jüdisch-europäische Organisationen veröffentlichten eine Erklärung, in der sie ihre tiefe Besorgnis über die Organisation einer von der israelischen Regierung unterstützten Konferenz in Brüssel zum Ausdruck brachten, die darauf abzielt, legitime Kritik und Protest gegen die Politik der israelischen Regierung, einschließlich der Taktiken von Boykott, Desinvestitionen und Sanktionen (BDS), als Antisemitismus zu bezeichnen.

Statement

As Jewish European organizations committed to the elimination of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and all other forms of racism, we would like to voice our deepest concern regarding the organization of a conference in Brussels (6-7 November 2018), backed by the Israeli government, aiming to label legitimate criticism and protest against Israeli governmental policies as anti-Semitism. We ask the European institutions, including the European Commission, the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), and members of the European Parliament, and to shun attempts by the Israeli government to use false allegation of anti-Semitism to limit and criminalize work by civil society organizations, including those of diverse Jewish communities of Europe, to pursue peace and justice in Israel/Palestine.

The conference, co-organized by the European Jewish Association and two Israeli ministries, has as its goal to persuade all European political parties to sign up to “red lines” that declare legitimate calls for pressure on Israel, including through Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) tactics, to be “fundamentally anti-Semitic.”

We reject their call. Antisemitism is a small but real and growing threat to Jewish populations in Europe – and elsewhere, as the recent outrage in Pittsburgh so tragically demonstrates. Conflating the real threat posed by anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and its policies is a dangerous step; it threatens to misdirect European efforts to combat anti-Semitism, turning these instead into a tool to erode the democratic principles of free speech and freedom of assembly, and to aid the Israeli government in its quest to limit Palestinian non-violent civil resistance to the Israeli occupation. These Israeli efforts do not represent the Jewish communities of Europe. The Israeli policies of siege in Gaza and racial segregation in the West Bank, of fatal attacks on civilians and of land expropriation for Jewish-only settlements – are not in our name. We reject attempts to equate opposition to these deplorable policies with anti-Semitism.

In the context of growing Israeli governmental ties with racist, sexist and xenophobic leaders, groups and political parties in Europe and the US (some of which with a past marked by blatant anti-Semitism), there is a real threat of emergent anti-Semitism. The Israeli governmental conference organized in Brussels is not searching for much-needed solutions to this threat. Sadly, it seeks instead to leverage anti-Semitism to maintain an untenable status-quo of occupation, oppression and fear in Israel/Palestine. We stand in opposition to their mission.

As Jewish organizations committed to the promotion of social justice and equality, we have expressed in several occasions the problematic nature of invoking allegations of anti-Semitism in attempts to silence voices opposing Israeli violations. More than 40 Jewish organisations have recently published an open letter expressing their “growing alarm regarding the targeting of organizations that support Palestinian rights in general and the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, in particular” Adding that “These attacks too often take the form of cynical and false accusations of antisemitism that dangerously conflate anti-Jewish racism with opposition to Israel’s policies and system of occupation and apartheid.”

The right to defend human rights, including Palestinian rights, should be safeguarded now more than ever. EU political parties have a responsibility to end complicity of their respective states with the Israeli violations of international law. It is time to act against anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and all other forms of racism. It is time to act against Israel’s decades-long occupation and racial segregation. Don’t lend a hand to the Israeli government attempts to stop us from doing both.

Signed by

Een Andere Joodse Stem / Another Jewish Voice (Belgium)

Free Speech on Israel (United Kingdom)

UJFP – Union juive française pour la paix (France)

JFJFP – Jews for Justice for Palestinians (United Kingdom)

ECO-Rete – Ebrei Contro l’Occupazione (Italy)

Een Ander Joods Geluid/A Different Jewish Voice (The Netherlands)

Judar för Israelisk Palestinsk Fred / Jews for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (Sweden)

Jüdische Stimme für ein gerechten Frieden in Nahost / Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Near East (Germany)

Jøder for en retfærdig fred (Denmark)

Jewish Voice for Democracy and Justice in Israel/Palestine (Switzerland)

EJJP – European Jews for a Just Peace (European Network)

Source: The statement was published on the website of Another Jewish Voice

Der Beitrag Öffentliche Erklärung jüdisch-europäischer Organisationen zur Definition und Beseitigung von Antisemitismus erschien zuerst auf BDS-Kampagne.

This open letter is endorsed by BDS Nederland and Article 1 Collective

Allard de Rooi (Netherlands) to the leadership of the Green Party Germany (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN)

Subject: Your statement on BDS

Dear fellow-Greens,

I am writing you as a Dutch member of the BDS Movement. The reason for my e-mail is a recent article in the Jerusalem Post, in which Eva Muszar is commenting on behalf of the Green Party. She claims the Greens are against BDS. She also claims BDS is anti-Semitic.

Here’s the quote: Eva Muszar, a spokeswoman for the Green Party in Stuttgart, told the Post that “we Greens reject a boycott of Israel as well as BDS. The BDS campaign aggressively calls for a boycott of Israeli goods and organizations and is collectively directed against Jewish Israelis and uses anti-Semitic prejudices.” Mu[s]zar said BDS is to be judged as “anti-Semitic.”

My question is if this quote is correct and indeed representing (the views of) your party?

The reason for asking is that endorsing or actively supporting BDS is part and parcel of the Green DNA. It’s hard to understand why German Greens would do the exact opposite, but moreover why they would be attacking their sister parties and voters with accusations from this outer category.

It’s not without obligation to publicly suggest that citizens and organizations that endorse or practice BDS are involved in anti-Semitism; I assume you can produce plenty of evidence for this claim. To be honest, we would expect such statements from our enemies, not from our friends.

But in case the quote would indeed reflect your position, let me remind you of the following.

• BDS is about standing up for Palestinian rights. Not as a political act, but as a humanitarian duty, sparked by the decades-long failure of our politicians to safeguard the Palestinians from Israeli colonialism. Don’t make it any more complicated than that, and be grateful that civil society picks up on the responsibility that politicians have neglected so much. Bottom line: we won’t stand by any longer to watch the remains of Palestinian society being destroyed. We will act and do what’s right.
• BDS is fully legitimate, enshrined in our European values and protected by our constitutions, laws and conventions. BDS is peaceful, and its demands are in line with rulings by the United Nations and other authoritative institutions in the field of international law and human rights. And it has a great track record: BDS brought down the South African Apartheid regime – a fact that is loudly applauded in Europe and beyond.
• BDS is not about jews, but about the Palestinians, their lives and rights, their land and resources. It targets the occupier and oppressor, being Israel. BDS is against any form of racism, including anti-Semitism and zionism, and has no opinion on jews or any other religious group. Note that only Israel and its supporters place BDS in an ethnic-religious frame.
• In doing so these stakeholders are validating Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians as ‚jewish‘ instead of ‚Israeli‘. May I suggest that anyone on the lookout for anti-Semitism refrains from this dangerous kind of Wörtspielerei and sterotypes? There is no such thing as ‚jewish crimes‘. The crimes that are being targeted by the BDS Movement are Israeli crimes, committed by the state of Israel. It’s the state that’s held accountable, like Russia is held accountable for occupying the Krim, like South Africa was boycotted for its Apartheid policies.
• On a personal level I wish to add the following. In the US, Europe and Israel/Palestine many leaders and members of the BDS Movement are jewish. I am one of them, and I know many others. From where we stand it is beyond belief that a German political party has a public statement published, insinuating that (literally) thousands of us are in fact supporting an anti-jewish agenda, and that we accept anti-Semitism in our ranks. I am sure you must be aware that this is both absurd and untrue.

Please note that the Dutch government has officially stated – as recent as two weeks ago – that BDS is within the law, not anti-Semitic or discriminating, and a fundamental democratic right that should be practised freely. Considering that The Netherlands are among Israels closest allies, this raises the question: What brings the German Greens to their extreme position?

So far about my observations, thanking you for your attention. A final plea: we need you badly in our struggle for justice. May I point at the following claim on your website, that would more than justify your endorsement of BDS:

Wir GRÜNE sind aus der Friedensbewegung entstanden. Davon ist unsere Politik geprägt: Der Schutz der Menschenrechte und das Ziel einer globalen Gerechtigkeit sind die Grundpfeiler unserer Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik.

I am available for further explanation. For a broader perspective on the matter, please note the recent Amsterdam lecture by Israeli writer and human rights activist Miko Peled (‚The General’s Son‘). I am sending this mail to a number of Greens, just to be sure this point is properly addressed within the party.

In friendship, and with kind regards,

Allard de Rooi

Deutsche Übersetzung

Hinweise
Exclusive: Second largest German bank shuts anti-Israel BDS account
Niederländische Regierung bezeichnet BDS als Meinungsfreiheit
Dutch party votes for sanctions on Israel
G4S probeert “zorg en welzijn” te bieden aan gemeenten; Hollands Kroon zegt ‘Nee’
BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN: Außen-, Friedens-, und Sicherheitspolitik

Der Beitrag Open letter from the Netherlands to BÜNDNIS 90 / DIE GRÜNEN erschien zuerst auf BDS-Kampagne.