Spanish-Jewish group Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM) and the Shomron Regional Council slammed Valencia for financing an anti-racism course for teachers led by a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) organization.
Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan criticized the decision on Tuesday, saying that BDS is as fit for the task as “the KKK is fit to teach a class on white-black solidarity.”
Dagan addressed the Spanish ambassador in Israel Manuel Gómez-Acebo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a letter calling on them not to allow Valencia to express contempt to the Spanish law after a Spanish court ruled that BDS is antisemetic and is in violation of the Spanish Constitution.
Head of ACOM Ángel Mas condemned BDS for “exploiting public institutions and tax-payers money to push their agenda, which is to promote hate and discrimination against Israelis and Spanish-Jews.”
He added that ACOM won 65 court cases against BDS in Spain, all against local governments that approved BDS activities.
BDS argues that just as South Africa underwent financial and cultural boycott when it was under the apartheid system, Israel and Israelis should expect a similar treatment as long as Israel is controlling the Palestinians in the West Bank.
Many in Israel and around the world argue that this is a false comparison and that BDS activists are often thinly veiled antisemites posing as human rights activists. Israel also claims BDS activists had been involved in supporting terror.