Israel to allocate NIS 100 million for BDS battle
In letter, Netanyahu tells attendees at emergency BDS summit in Las Vegas, 'You are on the front lines of fight against BDS, and Israel must stand with you.'
"De-legitimization of Israel must be fought, and you are on the front lines," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told attendees in a letter read aloud at a BDS emergency summit organized by Sheldon Adelson in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
"It’s not about this or that Israeli policy. It’s about our right to exist here as a free people," the prime minister stressed.
"And I thank each and every one of you for defending Israel on campus. Young Jews will know they can stand tall and be proud of Israel," he continued.
Thanks to such efforts to combat the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS), "friends of Israel can be armed with facts to defend the truth," Netanyahu said.
"And so everyone will see that Israel, the most embattled democracy on earth that seeks a genuine peace while fending off the forces of barbaric terrorism, deserves their support," he added.
Concurrently Netanyahu held talks with several officials over the weekend regarding the possible plans of action to combat BDS.
The talks included Strategic Affairs and Information Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office's perview includes fighting BDS, as well as other officials from relevant ministries.
The Israeli government is debating ways to improve cooperation between the different government agencies fighting BDS, and Jewish organizations abroad.
The talks included issues of funding and resources for battling the boycott campaign. Netanyahu and Erdan agreed that his office will receive at least NIS 100 million, most of which will go to fighting BDS.
Erdan's office will also receive 10 new positions for employees who will deal solely with the boycott and de-legitimization activities against Israel.
The minister mentioned that he is flooded with calls from Jewish leaders from across the globe, who want to join the effort against BDS.
Erdan estimated that the budget can double or triple to NIS 300 million with the help of Jewish and pro-Israel organizations.
The campaign against the BDS needs to include government ministries, intelligence agencies and the defense community, as well as increased cooperation with Jewish organizations, he said.
EU delegation nixes meeting with MKs
A delegation of Green Party members from the European parliament, which planned on visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority, cancelled their planned meetings with Israeli officials at the last minute, but did meet with Palestinian officials as planned.
The delegation is comprised of five members of the European Parliament who asked to meet with officials from both sides. Meetings were planned with officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Knesset, who where meant to present a green project in the field of environmental protection to the delegation.
As the members of the delegation left for the region, the Green Party's political advisor informed Israeli officials that those meetings where to be cancelled, due to priority and scheduling issues.
Israeli officials did not appreciate the actions of the European Parliament delegation, "We regret that the delegation chose to proceed in a one-sided manner, with only the Palestinian point of view, and without the opportunity for a balanced view of both sides."
It was later made evident to Israeli officials that the European parliamentarians found the time to visit Palestinian prisoners.
