European Union (EU) foreign minister Federica Mogherini sent a strongly-worded rebuke to Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, slamming his ministry’s “vague and unsubstantiated” claims that Brussels is financing “terrorism” and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
“The EU rejects any attempts to isolate Israel and does not support calls for boycott.”
This you need to know. @EUinIsrael supports apartheid and occupation by opposing literally ANY form of resistance. EU only supports Palestinian surrender and Vichyism. https://t.co/qWPX4OU0F7
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) July 17, 2018
The letter, sent to Erdan on July 5 and obtained by Haaretz, also criticizes the Israeli government for seeking to conflate “terrorism with the boycott issue”, efforts Mogherini described as “inopportune and misleading”, and liable to create “unacceptable confusion in the public eye regarding these two distinct phenomena”.
Mogherini was responding to a report published in May by the Strategic Affairs Ministry titled “The millions given by EU institutions to NGOs with ties to terror and boycotts against Israel”.
After Reprimand From #EU @FedericaMog , #Israel #Minister to present claim in #Brussels that #EU supports #terror #organisations https://t.co/NRTzq9nyNt
— Emilia Valbum (@emibava) July 17, 2018
The report alleged that “in 2016 the EU funded fourteen European and Palestinian NGOs which openly and clearly promote BDS”, adding that “several of the BDS-promoting NGOs that receive direct and indirect EU funding are linked to EU-designated terrorist organizations”.
Strongly refuting what she described as unsubstantiated accusations, Mogherini reaffirmed that while the EU “does not support calls for boycott”, the EU also “stands firm in protecting the freedom of expression and freedom of association in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights”.
La ministre des Affaires étrangères de l'Union Européenne (UE), Federica Mogherini, a vivement critiqué le ministre israélien de la Sécurité intérieure, Gilad Erdan, en réponse à ses allégations selon lesquelles l'UE soutient ce qu'il a… https://t.co/rPI9BHl7eQ
— Centre Palestinien (@palinfo_fr) July 17, 2018
Mogherini said:
“Simply because an organization or individual is related to the BDS movement does not mean that this entity is involved in incitement to commit illegal acts, nor that it renders itself ineligible for EU funding”.
???
EU Minister Federica Mogherini:
"EU stands firm in protecting FREEDOM of expression, FREEDOM of association in line with CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS of EUROPEAN UNION, which is applicable on EU member states’ territory, including BDS actions …” https://t.co/tcX67rzMLh— Robert Hand✋???? (@ratcatcher2) January 7, 2018
She added:
“Freedom of expression is also applicable to information or ideas, ‘that offend, shock or disturb the State or any sector of the population.’ Any action that has the effect of closing the space in which civil society organizations operate by unduly restricting freedom of association should be avoided”.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
