New legal blow to BDS-ELAI: ruling against the City Hall of La Rambla

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On 2 September 2019, after the appeal presented by ACOM, the Contentious Administrative Court number 3 of Cordoba annulled the boycott against Israel approved by the City Hall of the town of La Rambla (province of Cordoba).

The Court declared that “the climate of boycott that surrounds the Declaration of Space Free of Israeli Apartheid and the adherence to the campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions are contrary to the principle of equality and non discrimination”.

Apart from pointing out the inclusion of evident discriminatory components in the motion, it emphasizes that the City Hall had no authority to approve a resolution that interfered with the foreign affairs policy of the State.

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Madrid, 5 September 2019

On 1 April 2016 the City Hall of La Rambla –population 7,576– approved a motion of adherence to the boycott against Israel. Said proposal of adherence to the BDS movement was instigated by the local branch of the leftist political party Izquierda Unida and received the support of the PSOE (the PP abstained in said vote). The text included the commitment “to not establish any political, commercial, agricultural, educational, cultural, sports, or security convention, contract or agreement with Israeli institutions, companies, and organizations”.

The City Hall received the seal of approval by the BDS that recognised the town as “Space Free of Israeli Apartheid” under the condition that it broadcasted the boycott campaign among the local citizens and businesses. The City Hall agreed to commit to promote the cooperation with the BDS movement to ensure the correct implementation of the adopted decision.

This ruling reaffirms the discriminatory, biased, and decidedly hostile nature of the BDS-ELAI campaign against Israel, its citizens, and anybody who sympathises with the Jewish country.

Thanks to the legal initiatives of ACOM, 47 institutional BDS-ELAI agreements have been judicially annulled or cancelled by the local and/or public institutions themselves.

The President of ACOM (Action and Communication on the Middle East), Angel Mas, added: “From ACOM, in our commitment to the defence of democracy, we will continue to unmask all the actions carried out by the BDS-ELAI movement that, with its false solidarity with the Palestinian people, intends to curtail the liberties of Jews in Spain in their desire to constantly harass the only Jewish state in the world and the only democracy in the Middle East”.