US ambassador: Obama working to thwart boycott
US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro spoke at the 2016 Herzliya Conference, saying, 'Others may advocate boycotting Israel, but we are doing the exact opposite' Shapiro expressed US's solidarity with Saron Market victims.
"These are our marching orders, plain and simple, and we carry them out every day," said Shapiro.
He emphasized the importance of the peace process in fighting the boycott movement, saying, "Progress toward peace would also help the fight against BDS and would further weaken those who advocate isolation. True supporters of BDS have an anti-Israel, and in some cases even anti-Semitic, agenda, independent of efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But we must also reach those who support a two-state solution, but who might be tempted by the misguided arguments of the BDS movement."
The ambassador gave an historical perspective to the US's anti-boycott activities, reminding the audience of his own nation's experience at the end of such measures. "Boycotts are not an abstract notion for the United States," he said. "We were targets of an Arab oil embargo in the 1970s. We faced a choice of oil or Israel, and we refused to surrender. Rather than buckle to blackmail, we increased our support for Israel, outlawed compliance with Arab boycotts, and doubled-down on our diplomatic efforts at Arab-Israeli peacemaking, decisions that proved momentous and hugely beneficial to both our countries."
Shapiro expressed his country's solidarity with the victims of the terror attack at Tel Aviv's Sarona Market, saying, "Not long before the tragedy in Orlando, I visited the Sarona market. I went as a friend and as an ally. I was drawn there to express my country’s solidarity as Israel struggles with yet another deplorable, unjustifiable act of terror. We condemn this terrible attack without reservation. It can never be justified or explained away. May the memories of the fallen be a blessing and source of comfort to their families and communities, and may the wounded find refuah shlemah ('full recovery'). Our common sense of grief, friendship, and resolve unites us in these dark days and reinforces our commitment and our cooperation to fight hate, to defend our peoples, and to secure peace. "
