Israeli journalist and legal expert Ben Dror Yemini speaks about Anti-Semitism and BDS at KKL-JNF’s ninth World Leadership Conference.
Ben Dror Yemini. Photo: Yoav Devir
The rise in anti-Semitism and the BDS movement in many countries throughout the world is a phenomenon that is of great concern to the entire Jewish world, both in Israel and also in the Diaspora. The journalist and legal expert Ben Dror Yemini, one of the outstanding voices in Israel addressing this issue, spoke with conference participants about this important subject.
Yemini has published many articles in the Israeli press on the topic of anti-Semitism. In 2014, he published a book titled “The Industry of Lies”, which addresses the new anti-Semitism and incitement against Israel by extremist Islam and the radical left.
“The battle for ideas is no less important than the battle for Israel’s borders,” Yemini began by saying. “There is presently a struggle to delegitimize the state of Israel’s very existence. BDS supporters must lie in order to justify their positions, but many people are not aware of the true facts, and don’t want to know the facts if they happen to contradict their beliefs.”
In his lecture, he presented a long line of lies that were publicized in the media and repeated by professors in academic institutions throughout the western world - outrageous statements that are detached from reality:
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“Tel Aviv is the only western city where there are no Muslims.”
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“Israel causes the death of Palestinian babies.’
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“Prime Minister Netanyahu called for the expulsion of the Israeli Arabs.”
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“Al-Qaeda carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks in response to Israeli Army activities in Jenin.”
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“Gaza is the worst example of western colonialism.”
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“Israel carried out ethnic cleansing during the 1948 War of Liberation.”
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“What is happening in Palestine is similar to Auschwitz.”
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“Israel intentionally murders Palestinian citizens.”
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“Israel destroys the Palestinian educational system.”
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“Repression of Palestinians is the main cause of world violence and will eventually lead to the destruction of humanity.”
“Students on campuses throughout the world become anti-Israel, mainly because they don’t have information on what’s really happening,” Yemini said. “They don’t know, and we pay the price. I’m involved in investigative journalism, not public relations, but I believe that the work I’m doing can provide the facts and help public relations people throughout the world.”