BDS / Schuster / Schäfer / Grütters

The biggest support which the Palestinian civil society non-violent BDS movement is getting, does not come from some haters of Israel, or hard-line anti-Zionists, nor even from Antisemites, but from… the Israeli government and its allies.

BDS has been around for some 15 years and has, sadly for the Palestinians, not achieved much. Israel – that for its internal purposes, constantly needs to define enemies of the State, be they Iran or BDS – is investing millions in fighting this movement. This way, BDS gets much more attention than it otherwise would.

The most recent explosion is now taking place in Germany. A group of semi-educated German parliamentarians together with some hyperactive Philosemites, manipulated by the Israeli embassy in Berlin, have managed to pass a motion in the Bundestag, defining this non-violent Palestinian movement as antisemitic. Let me be totally clear about this: whether one supports BDS or not, BDS is not antisemitic. Those claiming that it is, are either ignorant or liars. Take your pick.

A group of 240 Israeli and Jewish academics worldwide (me included) have a signed a letter calling on the German government to reject the Bundestag ’s motion. The Jewish Museum in Berlin tweeted a recommendation to read this petition. As a result, its director, Peter Schäfer, a renowned scholar of Judaism and Talmud, was bullied by the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Joseph Schuster, into resignation.

Mrs. Grütters, the Federal Secretary of State for the Arts has, instead of rejecting the resignation and standing by the freedom of speech principle, accepted it. Monika Grütters evidently also does not want to get in trouble with the Central Council. Dark times for Germany.