South African Jewish groups who support the rights of Palestinians have joined Jewish groups abroad to argue that supporting a boycott of Israel over its abuse of Palestinians is not anti-semitic.

“BDS should not be defined as anti-semitic.” 

This is the message from 39 Jewish groups who oppose equating anti-semitism with criticism of Israel.

South African Jewish Voices for a Just Peace (SAJVP) and South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) joined Jews from the United States, Germany, England, Argentina, New Zealand and other corners of the world in a statement condemning the targeting of organisations that support Palestinian rights in general, and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, in particular.

Attacks on pro-Palestine groups and the BDS Movement “often take the form of cynical and false accusations of antisemitism that dangerously conflate anti-Jewish racism with opposition to Israel’s policies and system of occupation and apartheid,” the groups said.

In February, the BDS Movement was officially nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for its ongoing commitment to fighting anti-semitism and all forms of racism and bigotry.

“This conflation undermines both the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality and the global struggle against anti-semitism. It also serves to shield Israel from being held accountable to universal standards of human rights and international law.”

The groups stressed that it is more important than ever to distinguish between hostility or prejudice against Jews on the one hand and legitimate critiques of Israeli policies and systems of injustice on the other.

They also found the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-semitism, which is increasingly being adopted or considered by western governments, problematic, as it is worded in such a way that equates legitimate criticisms of Israel and advocacy for Palestinian rights with anti-semitism.

In addition, the groups urged governments to reject the IHRA definition of anti-semitism and instead take effective measures to end the international community’s complicity in Israel’s human rights violations against Palestinians.