​B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International commends the Swiss Council of States, which is the upper chamber of Switzerland’s Parliament, for passing a resolution directing the government to end funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for anti-Semitic and other hate incitement.

Such a move by the Swiss government would be a landmark step in combating anti-Semitism, as many of these NGOs support the discriminatory Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.  The stated goal of the BDS movement is to end the existence of the Jewish state; BDS proponents attempt to achieve this scurrilous goal by demonizing Israel and casting it as a pariah state.  It is imperative that governments around the world pass similar laws to counter discrimination and incitement targeting the Jewish community and the State of Israel.