Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on July 21 that boycotts of Israel are a form of “economic terrorism.”
Speaking at an event honoring the memories of late Israeli presidents and prime ministers, Herzog said: “The boycott against Israel is a new type of terrorism—economic terrorism. Terrorism that seeks to harm Israeli citizens and the Israeli economy. We must oppose this boycott and terrorism of any kind.”
He added that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement “seeks to undermine the very existence of the State of Israel. It is aiming its arrows at the Israeli economy,” according to The Times of Israel.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center praised Herzog in a tweet. “Thank you President @Isaac_Herzog. It’s not about ice cream but Jewish people’s inalienable rights to pursue their future in its land while pursuing peace with their neighbors. @benandjerrys: drop boycott or we’ll drop you.”
Thank you President @Isaac_Herzog It’s not about ice cream but Jewish people’s inalienable rights to pursue their future in its land while pursuing peace with their neighbors. @benandjerrys: drop boycott or we’ll drop you. https://t.co/g6m0sVxXnr
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) July 21, 2021
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, said in a statement, “The Israeli president should thank Ben & Jerry’s. They’re an alarm bell. Either Israel wakes up from its occupation and works to end it, or it will face a total boycott.”
Ben & Jerry’s released a statement on July 19 stating that they would be pulling out from the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” but would remain in Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the United States and United Nations Gilad Erdan tweeted that he sent a letter to several United States governors urging them to enforce anti-BDS laws against Ben & Jerry’s.
“As Arab nations cancel their decades long boycott of the Jewish state and sign peace agreements with Israel, and cultural and economic cooperation in our region is growing, American companies with radical ideological agendas cannot be allowed to go against policy of the United States and act against normalization and peace,” the letter stated. “Moreover, the past has proven that the citizens of Israel are never the only ones who suffer from such boycotts as these significantly harm Palestinians as well. For example, in the supermarkets in Judea and Samaria where Ben & Jerry’s products are sold, both Israelis and Palestinians work and shop.”
In coordination w/ @yairlapid, I sent a letter to 35 Governors of US states that have legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/tGW720oRZL
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) July 20, 2021
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami criticized Erdan in a Twitter thread. “Ben and Jerry’s is drawing a distinction between commercial transactions in the sovereign State of Israel, and those in the territory it occupies. Why is that so frightening to the government of Israel? Its own laws recognize the territory is under military occupation.”
He added in a subsequent tweet: “Using overheated, over-the-top accusations of antisemitism to attack Ben & Jerry’s and other critics of the occupation only undermines the critical fight against genuine antisemitism.”
Ben and Jerry's is drawing a distinction between commercial transactions in the sovereign State of Israel, and those in the territory it occupies. Why is that so frightening to the government of Israel? Its own laws recognize the territory is under military occupation. 4/6
— Jeremy Ben-Ami (@JeremyBenAmi) July 21, 2021
Using overheated, over-the-top accusations of antisemitism to attack Ben & Jerry’s and other critics of the occupation only undermines the critical fight against genuine antisemitism. 5/6
— Jeremy Ben-Ami (@JeremyBenAmi) July 21, 2021
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