How’s this for some anti-BDS activism. Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer sent out gifts comprised of “products that were made in Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights”.
Update: If I was to have written his letter I’d have made one small change. I’d have said the gifts came from all over Israel including Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights.
Full Text of Ron Dermer’s letter:
Ambassador of Israel
Washington, DC
December 17, 2015
This holiday season, I decided to send a gift that would also help combat the latest effort by Israel’s enemies to destroy the one and only Jewish state. That effort is called the BDS movement — the movement to boycott, divest and sanction Israel. The main forces behind this movement are fanatics who actively seek to eliminate Israel. Unfortunately, they are occasionally joined by fools who naively believe that in promoting BDS, they are advancing peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
But regardless of why they support BDS, the fanatics and the fools are simply promoting a new anti-Semitism. Once Jews were singled out and held to a different standard than other peoples. Today, the Jewish state is singled out and held to a different standard than other countries.
The most recent case of this was the European Union’s decision to label products that are made in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria differently than other products made in Israel. Of the over 200 unresolved territorial disputes around the world, Europe decided that only these Jewish-made products deserved to be labeled.
What makes this unfair treatment of Israel all the more shameful is that Israel upholds the highest democratic values in the darkest region on earth and while facing threats faced by no other nation. In a Middle East where women are treated as chattel, gays are hanged, minorities are decimated and Christians are decapitated, Israel is proud to have female fighter pilots, Arab Supreme Court Justices, gay pride parades and a thriving Christian community
As we have seen in the wake of the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, democracies are tested when there are real threats to security. Israel has passed that test with flying colors for the past 67 years despite being the most threatened democracy on earth.
In response to this effort to cast a beacon of freedom, tolerance and decency as a pariah state, I have decided this holiday season to send you products that were made in Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights. I hope you will enjoy them.
May you and your family enjoy a New Year of health and happiness.
Sincerely,
Ron Dermer
Ambassador of Israel to the United States
