Anti-Israel Boycotts Declared Illegal in Popular Spanish Tourist Destination

Another victory was scored against BDS in a Spanish court, which ruled that a pro-boycott resolutions is discriminatory and illegal. 

By: United with Israel Staff

A court in the Canary Islands on Tuesday ruled that an anti-Israel boycott motion approved in November 2015 by the Council of Gran Canaria is illegal.

Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, an African archipelago which is part of Spain. The area has a combined population of 850,000 inhabitants, hosting more than 4.2 million tourists annually.

Since 2015, 21 Canarian towns have acted in accordance with a decision to boycott Israel, proclaiming the island a “space free from the Israeli apartheid.” Its public bodies and civil servants were ordered to abstain from cooperating with Israel in areas such as agriculture, education, commerce, culture or security.

The Gran Canaria Council also agreed to support the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) in all its campaigns to boycott Israel in any possible way.

In its ruling, the court rejected the argument presented by the Council that the decision to boycott was merely a political statement, insisting that the actions and declarations of the public bodies are subjected to the rule of law and the legal control of the courts.

The court declared that the Council of Gran Canaria is not empowered to adopt such a resolution.

Spain: Isolating and Outlawing BDS

ACOM, a Spanish non-profit that works to combat BDS and which has already succeeded in several court cases against the movement, was the body that took legal action against the Council of Gran Canaria.

Far from being just a declaration of principles, the agreement requires executive powers to apply the boycott and commit to its objectives, exceeding the powers given to town councils, ACOM pointed out.

The court held that the pro-BDS agreement is discriminatory and is not in accordance with the principle of neutrality and objectivity that must guide the actions of the council.

Thanks to ACOM’s legal action, 14 pro-boycott resolutions have been annulled by the courts, including two rulings by High Courts of Justice, while seven city councils have revoked similar pro-BDS resolutions after ACOM took legal action and another two town councils have had their anti-Israel agreements judicially suspended until final rulings are issued.

“With these legal initiatives we have also exposed the clear link between all the different movements of boycott against Israel, which glorify terrorism and do not look for a negotiated solution, but the destruction of the Jewish state,” ACOM stated.

The BDS movement promotes financial, academic, and cultural boycotts of Israel, against the so-called “Israeli occupation.” Critics say its activities are a modern form of anti-Semitism and that its true objective is to destroy the State of Israel.