Czech Chamber of Deputies may pass resolution in support of Israel

Prague, Sept 19 (CTK) – The Chamber of Deputies foreign affairs committee today recommended to the Czech lower house that it pass a resolution in support of Israel and against its boycott and anti-Semitism.

The original draft mentioned the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) global campaign, but recommended the wording of the resolution in more general terms.

“In the Czech Republic, we do not have the problem and if it (the BDS) were mentioned, we would uselessly promote it,” Petr Hladik, from the Foreign Ministry, said.

The Foreign Ministry modified the original proposal by the chairman of the Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL) deputy group, Jan Bartosek.

“I think that this is a latter-day form of anti-Semitism, expressly targeting the State of Israel, the Jews,” Bartosek said about the BDS.

“In Western Europe, anti-Semitism is on the rise. There are so many attacks on Jews that some of them are really leaving the countries such as France for Israel. I am convinced that this is bad. I believe that one cannot keep silent on the signs of anti-Semitism in any form,” Bartosek added.

Last week, the Chamber of Deputies interrupted its debate on the position, sending it for review to the foreign committee.

Bartosek will propose that the lower house should finish the debate next week.

The draft resolution condemns as anti-Semitic all the activities calling for the boycott of Israel and asks the government to stand up against such activities and to insist on the ban on their financial support in international forums.

The Czech Republic is one of the staunchest allies of Israel in the EU. President Milos Zeman is for the relocation of the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

pvr/dr/hol