British oppose boycotts of Israel. UK, Israeli flags. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
Anti-semitism is about to cost a British charity a lot of government money. The UK’s Department for International Development (Dfid) cut off nearly all of it’s funding for the War on Want organization after the charity sponsored an anti-Israel event that included calls for violence. The Telegraph reported that War on Want was among the official sponsors of the “Israeli Apartheid Week”.
One speaker at an event sponsored by War on Want praised Hamas violence and compared Israel to ISIS, while another speaker—a Palestinian lawyer that War on Want spent over $1000 to bring to the UK to speak—spread the libel that Israel is stealing Palestinian organs. But the UK isn’t the only European country in the anti-Semitic spotlight these days—subways in France are in the news too.
Vandals attacked and tore down subway signs promoting the “Open a Door to Israel” exhibit at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The exhibit highlights Israeli innovation, history and culture and is an internationally-touring project of the Israel government.
Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry released a press release on the vandalism, noting it exposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. “BDS extremists revealed their true and hateful nature, using the same approach they take in university campuses, concert halls and business meetings, of violently silencing pro-Israel speakers, and threatening and bullying decision-makers and the general public,” said the Israeli statement.
Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan was quoted by the statement as saying , “I will continue to ensure that the truth about Israel is heard, through exhibits such as ‘Open a Door to Israel’ and others. At the same time, I will make sure that the true face of the BDS extremists is exposed and that they pay a price for their actions.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, April 3, 2016)