Sa’ar urges 250 visiting US state legislators to pass anti-BDS laws in their states

Speaking to a delegation of 250 US state legislators visiting Israel during a turbulent diplomatic week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rallies their support against what he describes as a coordinated campaign by “enemies” of Israel to isolate the Jewish state.

“We are witnessing a coordinated global effort against Israel today,” Sa’ar says, backing claims made earlier by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the same event, in which the premier said China and Qatar were spearheading media and political efforts against Israel.

“It’s not an attempt to change our borders. It’s not an attempt to establish a Palestinian state. It’s an attempt to eliminate the State of Israel, the only Jewish state. This is what it is,” Sa’ar tells the legislators.

Sa’ar says Israel’s “enemies” have turned to “propaganda, political, legal and economic warfare,” urging the legislator’s assistance in fighting the “increased use” of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

“The best answer against BDS, until this day — has been anti-BDS legislation by your states,” he tells them.

The delegation then continues to the Knesset, where Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana echoes Netanyahu and Sa’ar in hailing United States-Israel relations, before picking up an electric guitar to perform for the crowd with Israeli rock band Stella Maris.

“The America-Israel relationship is unlike any other. It is not merely a matter of interest, though ours align closely, nor is it simply a matter of policy or economics… it is a bond rooted in principle and shared beliefs,” he says.

Ohana thanks the group of legislators — made up of Democrats and Republicans from all 50 states — and the US for supporting Israel. He then plays a series of rock classics, including “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses — which he dedicates to the recently murdered conservative US commentator Charlie Kirk — earning a standing ovation.