Saying no to BDS
In his opening remarks at the Herzliya Conference former Israeli President Shimon Peres launched a special website in the war against the BDS movement against Israel which operates via social media.
Ben Caspit interviews Shimon Peres
The former president was asked by journalist Ben Caspit about the financial boycotts against Israel and replied: “BDS organizations create ignorance and hatred. It is important to understand that the embargo prevents negotiations – organizations in the BDS movement want to kill the peace negotiations through boycotts and they will achieve nothing but hatred. The CEO of Orange made a mistake and it is good that he came to apologize. We have friendly countries but we need to understand that the boycotts influence independent companies – we need to work on our advocacy with global companies to show them that we truly are turning to peace.” Peres stressed the importance of the Israeli government speaking with one clear voice to the world – is it in favor of two states or not?
Regarding US – Israel relations Peres said “All disputes between Israel and the US can be resolved amicably and privately. Obama should be judged by his actions and it is important to recognize the truth – there is no security problem Israel has faced that Obama has not responded to. He supported Israel on the settlement issue at the United Nations even though his opinion differed because he cares for Israel. We have always received any request made to Obama even when his opinion differed.” The outcry at Jack yesterday at the conference was shameful – Jack has supported Israel and is not our enemy – so what was the shouting for? If you shout a little bit of truth into your lie does the lie become the truth? Clearly not- we must stick to the truth.”
Regarding the agreement with Iran Peres said: “Obama has managed to unite a coalition of determined countries, led by China and Russia, to act against Iran and this must be appreciated. There should never be nuclear weapons in Iran’s hands, but the first step is to try to resolve the dispute through non-military means. A good agreement with Iran is not measured only through the number of centrifuges, but rather according to the number of countries partnering together to ensure that Iran adheres to its commitments. We can only judge the agreement with Iran when we learn all of the details; military action is always on the table.
A link to the website of the war against boycotts: www.notobds.com
The conventional wisdom in Israel has been that BDS is no more than a irritant. Why has BDS suddenly become a strategic threat ? Will it not remain a minor noise if BDS is ignored ? Focusing on BDS will bring Israel’s actions into focus as well.