Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has opposed the appointment of Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Information Gilad Erdan as head of a unit set up to combat BDS, the international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.
Ya’alon opposed the idea of Erdan giving orders to staff at Aman (Israeli Military Intelligence), slowing the government’s approval to start the unit.
Early in June, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during a government meeting that he had commissioned then Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz to take full responsibility for the fight against BDS, a campaign which he said “target[s] not only Israel but the Jewish people”.
Ya’alon did not object to Steinitz taking the post.
The Israeli government said the anti-BDS campaign will be moved to the security cabinet since the issue involves information which is both political and security sensitive.