BRUSSELS (AP) — Israeli and U.S. officials are warning about a rise in attacks targeting Jews in Western Europe and are urging European Union leaders to take action against organizations supporting an international boycott of Israel.
Gilad Erdan, the Israeli minister of strategic affairs, told a news conference in Brussels that the EU should stop funding the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. He spoke alongside U.S. envoy Elan Carr.
Israel says the BDS is aimed at delegitimizing its existence. The BDS presents itself as a non-violent campaign for Palestinian rights and does not endorse a specific solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to numbers compiled by Tel Aviv University, anti-Semitic attacks worldwide rose 13% in 2018 from the previous year. The highest number of attacks were in the U.S., France, Britain and Germany.