The Round Tables culinary event is being held next month in Tel Aviv and will bring head chefs from some of the world's most prestigious restaurants to Israel.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: OCTOBER 27, 2015 19:53BDS logo(photo credit: BDS)
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, known as BDS, is calling on top chefs from around the world to refrain from participating in the upcoming Round Tables culinary show, a "Gastro-diplomacy” event "which aspires to improve trade and cultural relations between countries."According to a BDS statement released Tuesday, the organization is urging top chefs from nine of the world's most prestigious restaurants to cancel their visits to the Jewish state, which the BDS movement says is a "complicit initiative that whitewashes Israel's oppression of the Palestinians."The BDS statement also notes that none of the chefs invited to the event have taken steps to cancel their planned visits.The Round Tables culinary event is being held next month in Tel Aviv and will bring head chefs from nine famous restaurants based in the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands to the White City.According to the organization's website, Round Tables American Express "is first and foremost a cultural project" which "wholeheartedly believe that through culinary encounters at round tables, a fruitful dialogue about culture, economy, and social issues can be established, one that can actually cross borders."The event will be opened to the public, according to the Round Tables website, in which "Israeli foodies are invited to taste and experience new dishes, surprising cooking techniques and flavors, that up until now required a passport, a plane ticket and a vacation from work," adding, "Now all you have to do is pay a fixed price of NIS 269 for a meal."