A new law in England enacted June strengthens Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions' move to label Israeli settlement products. The law demands greater disclosure measures on who are the controlling individuals of a company regardless of who are in the Board of Directors.
The new law seems to have nothing to do with Israeli companies, but the Jerusalem Post reported that Oliver Harris, a lawyer from the Asserson Law in Tel Aviv, believes that this is a "very big issue." On the surface, this new law could be EU's strategy to expose tax evasion, money laundering, and even financial terrorisms. Harris said it could be for a Europe-wide financial legal development or it could be directed at Israeli companies.
Either way, Harris said this will make it easier for BDS to target Israeli companies to subject their boycott. It used to be difficult for them to identify Israeli-backed companies in the past. Many Israelis use the UK to clout their ownership of international business, especially those in locations where people do not like Israelis. The new law will make it easier to detect and boycott these Israeli companies.
Meanwhile, the European community leaders recently re-elected its president Moshe Kantor during the European Jewish Congress (EJC) General Assembly in Brussels. According to the Jewish News, during the EJC, leaders from 42 European Jewish communities discussed how they would engage national government on security and anti-Semitism. Kantor also emphasized the "need to vigorously challenge and fight the BDS campaign (boycotts, divestments and sanctions of Israel)."
BreitBart wrote that the Annual Evaluation of the Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism reported that 40 percent of European Union citizens have Anti-Semitic view. According to the report presented to Israel's Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett just days ahead of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, these Anti-Semitic views resulted from radical Islamic elements.
Back to the new law, it would definitely be easier for BDS supporters to identify and boycott Israeli companies. It would also make it easier for non-BDS supporters but are anti-Israeli to boycott Israel.
