Switzerland’s parliament made an unprecedented decision to prevent the state from “financing any organization which supports racism, anti-Semitism, or the BDS,” the Boycott Divest and Sanctions movement. The BDS, that seeks to harm Israel’s economy for political reasons, for the first time in any European parliament, was set in the same category of racism and anti-Semitism. The parliamentary decision was passed with 111 votes in favor and 78 against, while 4 abstained.
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely congratulated the Swiss Parliament’s decision for what she said was an “important step in support of justice and human morality.” Hotovely wrote in a statement “We all support human rights, but there are organizations that serve the opposite trend under the guise of human rights, and it is important to remove the mask.” She concluded her statement by urging other European parliaments to follow in Switzerland’s’ footsteps.