

The Israeli intelligence has taken part in squashing the Palestinian Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement abroad, the diary of an Israeli minister has revealed.

The 2018 diary of of Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan has shown that he joined forces with the Mossad to defeat the global BDS movement, a group that advocates for Palestinians.

The diaries, which were released to the public as a result of the Freedom of Information request, reveal Erdan met with Mossad head Yossi Cohen to discuss the “struggle against the boycott” movement.

Erdan is notorious for his anti-BDS policies. After his appointment to his ministerial position in 2015, he was praised for being Israel's answer to beating the nonviolent BDS movement.

"I don't think the main issues are politics and disputes," Erdan wrote in a Facebook post after his appointment.

"The questions that must be asked are about our personal security, the values of the police, and the attempts to boycott and delegitimise Israel around the world. Because I have been promised the proper tools, I will have the ability to take action and bring about real change."

The non-violent BDS movement says it is inspired by the campaign that targeted South Africa's apartheid regime and is seeking an end to Israel's brutal occupation.

Israel sees BDS as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism - a claim activists firmly deny, calling it an attempt to discredit the peaceful movement.

But the movement, which adheres to peaceful resistance, aims to pressure Israel to abide by international law and human rights. BDS lobbies various states, institutions and personas to take action against what is calls Israeli oppression of Palestinians, and has successfully pushed corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel.

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