London, MINA – UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, said the non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel’s illegal population of Palestinian territories was “racist” and “anti-Semitic”, MEMO reported, Saturday (May 21).
“To demand collective community responsibility for what is happening in the Middle East is by my definition racist,” Patel said in a speech at the annual parliamentary reception of the Friends of Israel’s Conservatives this feed.
This comes after the British government revealed its long-awaited plans for the BDS campaign during the Queen’s Speech last week.
The anti-BDS law will limit the freedom of public bodies to adopt ethical attitudes towards human rights violators by prohibiting boycotts and state divestment campaigns against foreigners.
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Although Israel is not mentioned in the Queen’s Speech, it is widely understood that the British government’s aim was to protect Israel from the growing BDS movement, which seeks to establish an apartheid regime in Palestine.
Addressing 140 of his supporters, including 50 MPs, Britain’s Home Secretary insisted he was a “strong defender” of Israel.
Patel added “everything we see around the BDS movement is racist.”
The British government, Patel added, will continue to send messages around the strongest zero tolerance for terrorist activity, but also the type of activity targeted at attacking Israel, the Jewish community and the Israeli people.
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In response, the Israeli Ambassador warmly commended the UK Home Secretary for his work in “fighting combat, all types of extremism and combating antisemitism.” (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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