Erdan presents 'hate net' of BDS organizations
Public Security Ministry reveals connections between different boycott groups and their ties to Palestinian terror organizations; 'Under the guise of civil activities, a coordinated and well financed network operates, directed from Ramallah and Gaza, of which about a quarter maintain ties to terror groups.'
The Strategic Affairs Ministry has compiled a report revealing the internal connections between different anti-Israel boycott organizations, dubbed by Minister Gilad Erdan the "hate net."
Speaking at conference to combat the boycott movement, Erdan stressed that the offensive against Israel is in full swing "in local assemblies, in the trade unions, in the classrooms and at university campuses around the world. The perpetrators of the hate campaign, who derive their ideology from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, are united in their goal of destroying the State of Israel."
“Under the guise of ‘civil activities,’ a coordinated and well financed network operates, directed from Ramallah and Gaza, of which about a quarter (10 organizations) maintain ties to terror groups, including Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, with the goal of inciting the world against the State of Israel,” he continued.
The GC4I conference, which the Strategic Affairs Ministry holds every two years, brings together more than 150 heads of pro-Israel organizations, heads of Jewish communities and activists from around the world who are taking part in the campaign to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) and the delegitimization of the State of Israel.
During his speech, Erdan discussed the study his ministry has been working on for the past two years at the request of the Political-Security Cabinet as part of the efforts to combat the boycott movements against Israel.
Erdan noted that there are about 300 organizations around the world that are calling for a boycott of Israel. The Ministry of Strategic Affairs compiled a list of 42 prominent groups that “generate hatred of Israel.”
According to Erdan, not only do Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine support BDS, but members of these organizations also have ties with the other organizations advocating for the boycotting of Israel.
"Senior officials in the Palestinian organizations Al-Haq, DCI-P (Defense for Children International –Palestine), and al-Damir are past and present activists of the PFLP," he said.
"The head of the Al-Haq organization is Shawan Jabarin, a resident of Ramallah, who served a 13-year sentence in an Israeli prison for his involvement in the PFLP military wing. Jabarin is a leader in the legal campaign against Israel and is active in Europe and at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Lila Khaled, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, took part in the fundraising campaign for a BDS organization in South Africa,” Erdan elaborated.
'PA promotes boycotts against Israel'
"We've also identified ties to the PFLP among American boycott organization Samidoun; the PRC promotes Hamas interests in Europe; and members of the British PSC and the FOA held meetings with senior Hamas figures in Gaza—including Ismail Haniyeh—participated in the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident, and held a demonstration at 10 Downing Street promoting Hamas’s March of Return,” the minister continued.
Erdan also blamed the Palestinian Authority, which he said has long promoted boycotts against Israel and officially adopted the boycott movement at the Palestinian National Council last May.
"We have seen the attempts by senior PA officials to suspend Israel from FIFA and to promote the 'black lists' formulated by the UN Human Rights Council, all of which have been extensively promoted by BDS organizations," he said.
"The campaign of delegitimization and the campaigns to boycott Israel are based on the lies and propaganda of Hamas, which disguises its terrorist activities under the guise of civilian activity, with the goal of besmirching Israel and depriving it of its right to defend itself," Erdan stressed.
“There is a national necessity to expose the lies of Hamas and demonstrate its murderous and anti-Semitic character, expressed by launching missiles and rockets into Israel from among the civilian population, disguising themselves among (unarmed) marchers and demonstrations and the launching of terror (incendiary) kites, which are presented as children's play."
Erdan noted that the ministry recently identified an escalation with regards to the content and audiences to which the boycott organizations are directing their activities, and that they are increasingly calling for an end to trade agreements with Israel and halting business cooperation with Israel's defense industries.
"This campaign is no longer taking place among civil society organizations alone. Recently the boycott organizations have started lobbying members of parliament in various parts of the world," Erdan said.
"The terrorist organizations and the BDS organizations have never been so close ideologically and with regards to their operational tactics," Erdan said. "I will continue to lead the offensive against the perpetuators of this anti-Semitic hate campaign emanating from Gaza and Ramallah."
Erdan also said that the Ministry of Strategic Affairs will lead campaigns and public relations activities in the coming year to expose "the murderousness and the truth about Hamas terrorism so that the BDS organizations will find it difficult to continue to incite and lie by using them and the lies that are coming out of Gaza."
