BDS is failing – the never-ending story (October 2019)

Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing series of posts documenting BDS fails.

Political:

German parliament condemns ‘anti-Semitic’ BDS movement

The German Bundestag has passed a resolution describing the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign against Israel as anti-Semitic. Parliamentarians said some BDS slogans recalled Nazi propaganda.

A cross-party alliance in the German parliament on Friday passed a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and cutting off funding to any organizations that “actively support” the BDS movement.

Anti-Israel BDS founder denied entry to UK

Prominent Palestinian activist and co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Omar Barghouti, has been denied a visa to enter the UK, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign

In a statement issued on the PSC website on Friday, it was said that “Barghouti is unable to travel to the UK because his visa was abnormally delayed by the British Government without explanation.”

UN releases ‘unprecedented’ report linking anti-Semitism to BDS movement

Israeli, Jewish and pro-Israel groups all applauded the publication of an ‘unprecedented’ United Nations report on anti-Semitism, that, among other issues, links anti-Semitism to criticism of Israel and the BDS movement.

“This report marks one of the first times the U.N. has addressed the issue of anti-Semitism in any detail,” said Anne Herzberg, Legal Advisor and U.N. Liaison at NGO Monitor. “The Special Rapporteur condemned the use of anti-Semitic tropes and denial of Israel’s right to exist by BDS activists. Importantly, the Rapporteur also recommends the IHRA definition as a useful tool in combating anti-Semitism. Hopefully, U.N. bodies, particularly the Human Rights Council, will follow the Rapporteur’s lead by adopting IHRA and ending their promotion of anti-Semitic tropes and attacks on Israel’s legitimacy.”

Israel lets Gaza workers enter in bid to reduce tension

Israel is quietly allowing thousands of Palestinians to enter from the Gaza Strip to conduct business and work menial jobs, apparently as part of understandings with the ruling Hamas militant group aimed at preventing a fourth war in the blockaded territory. […]

In recent months, Israel has quietly provided some relief as part of an unofficial, Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas, in exchange for reduced rocket fire from the territory and the scaling back of weekly protests along the border. It has allowed Qatar to deliver millions of dollars in cash to allow Hamas to pay its civil servants and has allowed the United Nations to step up aid efforts.

Now it appears Israel has expanded a program in which it had long provided hundreds of permits to business owners to travel to Israel and the West Bank for commerce. Palestinian officials say it is now providing some 5,000 so-called merchant permits and awarding them to Palestinians working as laborers in construction, agriculture and manufacturing.

UK boycott ban

Local councils, public bodies and even some university student unions are to be banned by law from boycotting “unethical” companies, as part of a controversial crackdown being announced by the Government.

Under the plan all publicly funded institutions will lose the freedom to refuse to buy goods and services from companies involved in the arms trade, fossil fuels, tobacco products or Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Any public bodies that continue to pursue boycotts will face “severe penalties”, ministers said.

Economic:

UK Grocery chain Tesco invests in Israeli startup Trigo Vision

Tesco, a British grocery multinational and the world’s third-largest food retailer, has invested an undisclosed sum in Israeli startup Trigo Vision which developed a computer vision platform for a checkout-free shopping experience that allows customers to grab items and go.

The companies announced on Thursday that customers who use the Tesco app will be able to walk into a store, select items, and leave without going through the checkout counter. The payment will be processed automatically. Tesco has been collaborating with Trigo since this past summer, Bloomberg reported earlier this year.

Israel ranked between the Netherlands and Japan in 2018 Environmental Performance Index

EPI rankings

Tourism Ministry: 405,000 tourist entries in September! 44% increase compared to Sept. 2018

Tourism

Virgin Atlantic opens new route from Heathrow to Tel Aviv

Virgin

International Technology Partnering:

A new Israeli anti-cancer drug is now available on the US market

Today [July 03, 2019], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Xpovio (selinexor) tablets in combination with the corticosteroid dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is resistant to several other forms of treatment, including at least two proteasome inhibitors, at least two immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.

‘Towards tomorrow’: Israel’s booth at UAE exposition to showcase Israeli innovation

Israel recently offered a first taste of its planned pavilion at the Expo 2020 in Dubai, under the headline “Towards tomorrow,” that hopes to showcase Israeli innovation to the Arab World and beyond.

A short clip posted on several of the Foreign Ministry’s social media accounts shows a simulation of the pavilion, which is described as an “icon, hope and aspiration” and appears to focus on Israeli innovation and technology.

The pavilion has “no walls and no borders,” according to the narrator of the short clip. “An open invitation to join hands on the amazing journey forward and to shape our future together.”

Akamai to Buy Israeli Cybersecurity Company ChameleonX

Nasdaq-listed cloud computing company Akamai Technologies has announced on Wednesday an agreement to acquire Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity company ChameleonX, set to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, but one person familiar with the matter who spoke with Calcalist on condition of anonymity put the sum at around $20 million.

Aleph Farms has successfully grown meat on the International Space Station

Aleph Farms, an Israeli food company that engineers beef steaks from cow cells, announced Monday it had successfully grown meat on the International Space Station for the first time — a step forward in the company’s goal to create slaughter-free eco-friendly meat.

Here’s how it works: researchers take cells from a cow, give them nutrients, and put them in an environment mimicking the inside of a cow’s body. The cells then multiply and grow connective muscle tissue — eventually becoming a full-sized steak.

Aleph Farms collaborated with a Russian bioprinting company to successfully carry out the process on September 26. They assembled “a small-scale muscle tissue in a 3D bioprinter developed by 3D Bioprinting Solutions, under micro-gravity conditions,” Aleph Farms said in a press release.

Culture:

HBO ‘Real Time’ host Bill Maher criticized the anti-Israel BDS movement

HBO ‘Real Time’ host Bill Maher criticized the anti-Israel BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) and the media for ignoring the agenda that targets products manufactured in Israel. On this week’s broadcast of his program, Maher called BDS a “bullshit purity test” by people who slept through history class that want to appear “woke.”

Kamila Shamsie’s book award withdrawn over her part in Israel boycott

…a German jury reversed its decision to award her the €15,000 (£13,000) Nelly Sachs prize over her support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

The eight-member jury had decided on 6 September to make the British-Pakistani author their latest winner, citing writing that “builds bridges between societies”. But when they learned of Shamsie’s support for the BDS movement, they announced that they would cancel their original vote and withdraw the award.

Celine Dion headed to Israel next summer

French-Canadian superstar Celine Dion will be making her Israel debut in Tel Aviv this coming August.

“See you soon Tel Aviv, Love, Celine” was posted on Dion’s Twitter page on Thursday. Hours later, Israeli promoter Shuki Weiss issued a release announcing the show at Park Hayarkon on August 4th as part of Dion’s Courage World Tour (named after her new album).

 

 

 

 

 

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