The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) last Thursday strongly praised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he announced during a trip to Israel that the United States would classify the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which he called a “cancer,” as anti-Semitic and would “immediately take steps to identify organizations that engage in hateful BDS conduct and withdraw US government support for such groups.”
The NCYI noted that the international working definition of anti-Semitism, which was adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2016 and is utilized by the US State Department, includes various anti-Israel activities, such as those employed by BDS activists in their quest to delegitimize the State of Israel.
In addition, the NCYI commended Pompeo, who became the highest-ranking American diplomat to visit an Israeli town in Judea and Samaria, for announcing that products from Judea and Samaria can be duly labeled “Made in Israel.” In his remarks about the policy change, Pompeo said that, “The US stands with Israel and will not tolerate any form of delegitimization.”
Last year, in a landmark announcement, Pompeo stated that the State Department does not deem Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria (otherwise known as the “West Bank”) to be in violation of international law.
During his visit to Israel, Pompeo also became the first US Secretary of State to visit the Golan Heights. In March 2019, the State Department officially identified the Golan Heights as being “under Israeli control,” and President Trump declared that the United States should recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
