Werte(Initiative) in der Diskussion: BDS „Die Israel-Boykottbewegung. Alter Hass in neuem Gewand“

Book presentation by Alex Feuerherdt and Florian Markl. For years, the BDS movement has been causing a stir in Germany and internationally. Supported by prominent figures, the movement calls for a total boycott of Israel. Numerous antisemitic incidents have occurred in connection with BDS – Jewish people are taking note of this with the greatest concern. In 2019, the German Bundestag passed the resolution "Resolutely Opposing the BDS Movement – ​​Combating Antisemitism." In this resolution, calls for a boycott of the Jewish state were condemned as antisemitic. But the campaign continues. Jews worldwide are being pressured by the campaign. The campaign occasionally receives support from civil society. But who is behind these calls? And what is the core of this campaign? The current Israel boycott movement claims to have originated in 2005 as a reaction to a call from "Palestinian civil society" to advocate only for the observance of human rights and not to be antisemitic. The reality, however, is quite different: By appealing to civil society, the movement obscures its true roots. It is not concerned with the rights of Palestinians, but rather with the demonization and delegitimization of Israel. It represents old hatred in a new guise. In its propaganda, Israel is defamed in a grotesquely distorted way, singled out, and not treated by the same standards as all other countries in the world. Where once the slogan was "Don't buy from Jews!", today it is "Boycott Israel!" Alex Feuerherdt is a freelance journalist and lives in Cologne. He focuses on Israel, the Middle East, antisemitism, and soccer, and writes regularly for publications including the Jüdische Allgemeine, n-tv.de, Jungle World, and Konkret. He also runs the blog Lizas Welt. Florian Markl is a political scientist and the academic director of the Middle East think tank Mena-Watch in Vienna. Previously, he was an archivist and historian at the General Compensation Fund for Victims of National Socialism and a lecturer at the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna. His articles have appeared in publications including the newspapers "Die Presse" and "Der Standard," and the magazine "konkret." Together with Florian Markl, Feuerherdt published a book with Hentrich & Hentrich in 2018: "United Nations Against Israel – How the UN Delegitimizes the Jewish State." Link to the book (October 2020): https://www.hentrichhentrich.de/buch-... This event was supported by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation's "Education and Action Weeks Against Antisemitism."