Dr. Avichai Mandelblit, Attorney General of Israel, on Monday stressed the importance of legal action against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Speaking at the Legal Network Initiative (LNI) Conference, organized by the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the Israel Bar Association, and the International Legal Forum Minister, Mandelblit said, “As BDS efforts are in large taking part in the legal arena, it is important for us as legal professionals to broaden our knowledge in order to learn how to respond to these claims and be able to articulate legal arguments against such efforts.”
“Courts around the world have repeatedly rejected the strategy of BDS, and deemed it harmful to the actual number of fundamental human rights-such as equality and non-discrimination,” he noted.
“In the past few years, we have seen a surge in successful local advocacy in a number of countries, by lawyers and NGOs working to counter different types of pro-BDS, government or municipal, decisions. These local advocates can take pride in dozens of court decisions ruling against local BDS activities in such places as Spain, France and the UK, reflecting once again the international community's rejection of this strategy.”
Mandelblit particularly noted the United States which “has been at the forefront of international efforts to combat these types of boycotts within the legislative domain, both on the federal and state level.”
“The State of Israel and its allies employ different legal and diplomatic tools to counter the challenge of BDS, including in the legal field, on a daily basis. The Israeli Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked, made clear upon her appointment that the legal response to the BDS movement is a top priority,” he added.