39 Jewish BDS groups claim it is not anti-Semitic to compare Israeli policies to those of the Nazis

39 pro-BDS Jewish 0rganizations declared that comparing Israel’s policies with those of Nazi Germany should not be considered anti-Semitic. 

By: Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Jewish Voice for Peace published a letter Tuesday signed by almost 40 other organizations declaring their refusal to accept the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism with regard to Israel-related matters.

“The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which is increasingly being adopted or considered by Western governments, is worded in such a way as to be easily adopted or considered by Western governments to intentionally equate legitimate criticisms of Israel and advocacy for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism, as a means to suppress the former,” the letter said.

The following, considered anti-Semitic by the IHRA definition, were rejected by the signatories of the letter:

“Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor. Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation. Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis. Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

The letter went on to support the signatories’ joint support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, calling it “nonviolent” and saying that it has “demonstrated an ongoing, proven commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.”

These Jewish organizations “affirm the current call for BDS as a set of tools and tactics that should not be defined as anti-Semitic.”

Omar Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian leader and co-founder of the BDS movement, has said openly that he is an advocate of the one-state solution in which all Palestinians have the right of return – meaning the end of Israel as a Jewish state.

He has called Israel racist and “an apartheid state,” compared its practices to those of Nazi Germany, and accused it of ethnic cleansing. These are all examples included in the IHRA definition of Jew-hatred that these groups reject.

His followers have regularly physically assaulted and verbally attacked both Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of Israel at venues, including college campuses, rallies, and meetings with Israeli speakers. Their abuse has been recorded and reported on in the media, formal complaints have been filed, and the police in many countries – including those in which these Jewish groups exist — have had to arrest BDS assailants for criminal acts on more than one occasion.