EU denies accusations of inciting against Israel

JERUSALEM (AA): The European Union on Wednesday rejected Israeli accusations of inciting against the self-proclaimed Jewish state.

In a statement, the EU described Israeli accusations against the bloc of supporting incitement against Israel as “unfounded” and “unacceptable”.

The denial came shortly after Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry accused the EU of channeling millions of euros to NGOs related to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

But the EU responded by saying that it opposes BDS, but supports the freedom of speech.

“The EU has not changed its position regarding BDS. We reject any attempt to isolate Israel and do not support calls for boycott, nor fund actions that are related to boycott activities,” the EU office said.

“Simply because an organization or individual is related to the BDS movement does not mean that this entity is involved in incitement to commit illegal acts, nor that it renders itself ineligible for EU funding,” it added.

The BDS movement is a global campaign devoted to pressuring Israel — economically and politically — to end its ongoing violations of international law.

Israel has repeatedly called on the EU to stop funding Palestinian and Israeli NGOs working to uncover Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories.