PA Foreign Ministry on German Parliament decision defining BDS as antisemitic: “Israel is still imposing its will on the representatives of the European peoples by blackmailing them with the historical German complex regarding the Jews, in order to obtain what it wants”

Headline: "The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates: The German Parliament's decision defends the occupation and settlement enterprise from giving an accounting to the world"

"The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates emphasized that it views with great severity the decision of the German Parliament, the Bundestag, about BDS… and its consideration as an antisemitic movement (see note below –Ed.).

The ministry noted in a statement yesterday [May 19, 2019] that this decision was made on the grounds that the BDS organization’s goal is to deny Israel its right to defend itself, which shows that:

1. The role and activity of the organization are having an influence to such a level that it has caused Israel and its supporters to look for an excuse or justification to attack the organization and harm its image.
2. Israel is still imposing its will on the representatives of the European peoples by blackmailing them with the historical German complex regarding the Jews, in order to obtain what it wants…

The ministry emphasized that this decision attempts to ignore the fact that Israel is an ethnic cleansing state, a racial discrimination state, and a state that violates the law, that is committing crimes against the Palestinian people."

The German Parliament passed a motion defining the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement as antisemitic and banning government funding for organizations that support BDS on May 17, 2019. In support of its position that BDS is antisemitic, the motion noted that BDS' "Don't Buy" stickers are reminiscent of the Nazi slogan "Don't buy from Jews."