There are over 200 territorial disputes in the world, but the European Union is boycotting Israel

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely opened Israel's battle against the European Union's decision to label Jewish-made products from Judea and Samaria Tuesday, calling the EU out for "discriminating" against the Jewish state.

Earlier Tuesday senior EU officials stated to Arutz Sheva that there was "no room for negotiation" with Israel on the topic of labeling Jewish goods. 

Speaking at a press conference in the Barkan Industrial Region in Samaria, where Israelis and Palestinians work side-by-side, Hotovely stated that - despite EU officials' insistence - labeling Jewish-made products was a form of a boycott.

"Today the Foreign Minister is starting a battle against the idea of labeling," she said. "Labeling, it's very clear to say... it's a clear boycotting (of) the State of Israel."

Hotovely noted that targeting one specific region of Israel was essentially tantamount to "boycotting the State itself and creating delegitimization of the State."

She also claimed it marked the start of a slippery slope, again despite the EU's insistence to the contrary. "When you boycott Judea and Samaria you eventually boycott Tel Aviv."

The outspoken deputy minister also called the EU out on its "discriminatory" stance vis-a-vis Israel

"There are over 200 territorial disputes in the world, but the European Union is singling out Israel - this is discrimination, this is a boycott," she declared.

The "majority of Israelis" agree with her, Hotovely asserted.

She also noted that Palestinian employees in Judea and Samaria would be the first to suffer from such a boycott. Those purporting to support"coexistence" could not simultaneously target specifically those businesses which encourage Jews and Arabs to work together, she said.

"You're not harming Israel's economy when you do labeling, what you harm is over 10,000 Palestinian families who are going to lose their jobs."

"Whoever wants coexistence in the Middle East" should oppose the measure, she continued. "Labeling is distancing peace."

Hotovely then turned the incitement from the Palestinian Authority, which has helped fan the flames of the ongoing wave of terrorism buffeting Israel.

"We hear day after day strong incitement against Israelis and Jews - those are the things you need to fight! You need to fight violence, you don't need to fight coexistence.

"Just yesterday an 80-year-old woman was stabbed in the streets of Netanya," she said, apparently mixing up yesterday's attacks in Rishon Letzion and Netanya, both of which targeted elderly Israelis. 

"Terrorism doesn't see a difference between the Green Line" and the rest of Israel, she noted.

Exposé: Jewish Foundations That Fund Boycotts of Israel

Ronn Torossian

The author is CEO of 5WPR, 1 of the 25 largest PR Agencies in the US.

As CEO of one of the largest independently owned American public relations firms, it was interesting to find this week that The Jewish Communal Fund (JCF) is seeking a “Public Relations and Marketing Associate”, who can “write blog posts”, and “identify articles and blog posts that are relevant to JCF and gain permissions to re-post on the JCF blog.” 

There is much information available online that I have shared recently - and I give them full permission to use any of the articles which I have written about them that show their support for organizations that boycott Israel.

In the last few months, numerous organizations and individuals have written about The Jewish Communal Fund, (JCF) the largest Jewish donor advised fund in the United States, which manages $1.3 billion in charitable assets. An organization for the mega-rich, they facilitate and promote charitable giving – it has been demonstrated that the JCF has given millions to The New Israel Fund, which actively supports a boycott of Israel.  

The JCF has also granted thousands of dollars to A Jewish Voice For Peace - which the ADL said “..uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide a greater degree of credibility to the anti-Israel movement.”

The policy governing the Jewish Communal Fund notes: "'The Jewish Communal Fund is committed to supporting causes that promote the welfare and security of the Jewish community here and abroad. Consequently, as part of the grant review process, the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Communal Fund retains the right to deny any grant request where the purposes and activities of the recommended charitable organization are deemed to be adverse to the interests of the Jewish Community.”

Funding those who boycott Israel, therefore, is clearly unacceptable for The Jewish Communal Fund – and instead of hiring PR people, they should stop funding boycotters. The uber wealthy in America create foundations through which they give to charities - from yeshivas to community centers, healthcare organizations to childrens projects – but nothing can justify their donating to organizations that support a boycott of the State of Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that those who fund boycotts against Israel must be exposed.  As Netanyahu explained, “We must not cave into the pressure, expose the lies and attack the attackers.” Netanyahu is right.

Buried in the tax-returns of numerous foundations is funding for organizations that support boycotts of Israel – and they must be exposed. 

The Jewish Communal Fund, as well as foundations including

 The Lopatin Family Foundation, 

The Annenberg Foundation, 

the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, 

The Russell Berrie Foundation,

 J.S. & S. Michaan Foundation, 

the Jim Joseph Foundation, 

Leichtag Foundation,

 David Hochberg Foundation

 must stop giving millions to help organizations like the NIF and Jewish Voice for Peace damage Israel.

Harvard professor Ruth Wisse rightfully has noted that, “the rapid demoralization of Jews in the face of anti-Zionism… shows the depth of the influence of the past, for many have yet to achieve the simple self-respect that has been eluding the Jews collectively since the dawn of modernity.”

Reject the extremist foundations who fund boycotts of Israel.

Unless the foundations themselves change their donating patterns.

Boycotters of Israel are a bunch of anti-Semites, Netanyahu finally says it the way it is

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that those who boycott Israel are anti-Semites.

Speaking at the Conference of Presidents, Netanyahu told a group of visiting Jewish-American leaders that it is time for Israel to "fight back" and "delegitimize the delegitimizers."

There are increasing concerns in Israel over a Palestinian-led movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). The boycott has been growing recently, mainly in Europe, where some businesses and pension funds have cut investments or trade with Israeli firms they say are connected to West Bank settlements.

"In the past anti-Semites boycotted Jewish businesses and today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state, and by the way, only the Jewish state," Netanyahu said. "I think that it is important that the boycotters be exposed for what they are, they are classical anti-Semites in modern garb," Netanyahu said.

But Netanyahu, citing in particular Israel's cybersecurity industry, said the heads of international high-tech companies he has met "all want the same three things: Israeli technology, Israeli technology and Israeli technology".

"The capacity to innovate is a great treasure of profound economic value in today's world," he said. "And that is something that is bigger than all these boycotters could possibly address."

 

Many Israelis say the boycott has strong anti-Semitic connotations and is meant to delegitimize the Jewish state as a whole and not merely a pressure tactic against its policies toward the Palestinians.

For many Israelis, the boycott conjures up dark images of the Nazi boycott prior and during WWII when Jewish academics were kicked out of universities and Jewish businesses were vandalized and boycotted.

After years of brushing off boycott threats as a tool of fringe extremists, Israel seems to have become genuinely worried in recent months.

As is his custom, Netanyahu also addressed the issue of the Iranian threat, saying the interim agreement with Tehran legitimizes the Islamic Republic for no reason and asserting that "Iran has given practically nothing, but gets international legitimacy."

His remarks came on the eve of fresh talks between Iran and the P5+1 group - Britain, France, the United States, China and Russia plus Germany - aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord on Tehran's controversial nuclear program.

Israel was highly critical of an interim deal signed between Iran and the West in November under which Iran agreed to freeze or scale back its nuclear activities for a six-month period in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

The interim deal, he said, only delayed Tehran's nuclear program in four weeks, while the Islamic Republic continues developing more effective centrifuges that would allow them to reach a bomb faster.

The prime minister made similar comments to visiting Peruvian President Ollanta Humala in their meeting earlier Monday.

"So far the only one who benefited from these talks is Iran. In fact they didn't give anything but they got a lot," Netanyahu told President Humala.

"Iran is continuing its aggressive behavior: arming terrorist groups, supporting the massacre of his own people by the Assad regime (in Syria), calling for the destruction of Israel and subversive activities all over the world, including Latin America."

Israel and the West have long suspected Iran of covertly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program – charges denied by Tehran.

The United States and Israel – which views Iran as its greatest strategic threat – have not ruled out military action to prevent Tehran from acquiring an atomic bomb.

Iran's top decision-maker Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also expressed skepticism about the talks, and on Monday said they would "lead nowhere."

"I repeat it again that I am not optimistic about the negotiations and they will lead nowhere, but I am not against them," Khamenei said in remarks published on his website Khamenei.ir.