U.S. declares Israeli boycott group anti-Semitic

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said the State Department would recognize the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign for “the cancer that it is.” The economic boycott protests Israeli policies toward Palestinians. The U.S. decision would cut off government funding for any organization taking part in the movement, Pompeo said.

How significant is the move? The Trump administration has been strengthening ties with Israel. On Thursday, Pompeo became the first senior U.S. diplomat to visit an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. During the joint news conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli-U.S. alliance reached “unprecedented heights” under the Trump administration.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s report on the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.

Onize Oduah

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks