WJC assembly condemns BDS as ‘a manifestation of anti Semitism’
Published March 17, 2016
BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — A World Jewish Congress assembly adopted a resolution calling the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel a manifestation of anti-Semitism.
A special Plenary Assembly of the World Jewish Congress, attended by more than 400 delegates and observers from 67 Jewish communities in 40 countries, on Wednesday voted to approve the resolution which “considers the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement, and all other attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel, to be manifestations of anti-Semitic discrimination against the only truly democratic country in the Middle East, and damaging to any genuine efforts for peace in the region.”
The resolution also commends the WJC leadership for establishing a new department in the organization’s New York office to counter BDS and other forms of discrimination against the State of Israel, bringing together like-minded organizations and movements from around the world.
It also lauds the efforts of countries and community leaders who have taken concrete action to condemn BDS or to acknowledge the discriminatory nature of BDS and other forms of unlawful activities against the State of Israel, including the executive,
legislative, or judiciary bodies of the United States, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, and various American states including Illinois, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“We will answer the lies on the internet and in the media with the truth. Remember one important fact: We are not the Jews of the 1930s. We have influence; we have great power, we have tremendous resources, and we have creativity that is the envy of the world. I intend to use everything in our arsenal, and I will not be silent. We will not be silent. The world will hear our voice,” Lauder said in a keynote address.
The assembly also unanimously voted to allow WJC President Ronald Lauder to serve a third consecutive term as WJC president, as stipulated by the organization’s constitution.
Also on Wednesday, Buenos Aires city lawmaker Omar Ahmed Abboud, former secretary-general of the Islamic Center of Argentina, presented a proclamation by the Buenos Aires city legislature to declare Ronald Lauder a “Guest of Honor” of the city.
