21 December 2016
In Germany, the account of the group “Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East” (Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost”) has been closed by the “Bank for Social Economy” (Bank für Sozialwirtschaft AG).

The Israeli government attempts to forbid any criticism of its policy, both inside in Israel and abroad. It pretends that all the people criticizing Israel are anti-Semitic. Certain organizations, such as the Bank for Social Economy, have voluntarily chosen to serve the Israeli repressive political agenda and attempt to silence critical voices.
The fact that organizations such as the Bank of Social Economy censor criticism of the State of Israel in the name of rejecting Antisemitism is a direct insult to us as Jews. The State of Israel does not represent us. We demand that any moral individual or organization will not allow their justified outrage against Antisemitism to be turned into a foreign policy tool by the Israeli government.
The right to call for boycott as a form of political pressure, as part of the global BDS-movement founded by Palestinians to promote the implementation of international law, is protected by the freedom of expression, by European law and specifically by German law. The Bank for Social Economy, however, makes its own law.
Also and especially because we are Jewish, we cannot ignore the crimes committed by the State of Israel that pretends to act in our name: occupation, colonization, apartheid, destruction of Palestinian society and war crimes. We also refuse to take responsibility for those crimes because we are Jews. We refuse too to be punished for exercising our rights to criticize those crimes.
Also and especially because we are Jewish, we support the Palestinian people claims for freedom (end of occupation and colonization, destruction of the Wall of separation, end of the blockade of Gaza, freedom for all Palestinian prisoners), equality of rights between Israelis and Palestinians and justice (a just solution for the Palestinian refugees). These are the three demands of the BDS movement.
Also and especially because we are Jewish, we reiterate that the struggle for a just peace is a struggle for both, Israeli Jews and Palestinians. A just peace is the only way to bring human rights and safety to all people in the region. In this case, the Bank of Social Economy is directly working against the efforts for such a just and peaceful solution. We demand that it immediately changes its decision regarding the account of the “Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East.”