French Jews barred from interfaith Scout meeting in Tunisia

littlegoythings:

Organisers of an interfaith meeting in Tunisia among members of
the Scouting movement disinvited French Jewish delegates following
pressure by promoters of boycotts against Israel.

The two delegates of the International Forum of Jewish Scouts
were excluded from the meeting held last week in the resort town of
Hammamet for members of the youth movement from around the world. Titled
“Interfaith Dialogue Ambassadors,” the event brought together 150
participants from 24 countries.

But the French Jews who travelled there to participate in the event
were asked to leave, Francis Kalifat, the president of the CRIF umbrella
group of French Jewish communities, wrote in an open letter of complaint to Abdelaziz Rassaa, Tunisia’s ambassador to France.

The treatment of the two Jewish delegates at an event that “purports
to bring closer people of various religions,” he wrote, “seriously
tarnishes the image of tolerance and openness that Tunisia wishes to
transmit.”

The organisers’ decision to bar the Jewish delegates, who are not
Israeli citizens, follows protests online by anti-Israel groups.

TACBI, the local branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel published a statement Nov. 6 about it.

“The Tunisian Campaign for Cultural and Academic Boycott of Israel
has learned that the Tunisian Scouts have invited an international
Zionist organisation, ‘The International Forum of Jewish Scouts,’” to
the event, they wrote. TACBI “strongly condemns the disguised normalisation operation carried out by the Tunisian Scouts.”

This is not an Israeli group. These are not Israeli citizens. This is a French Jewish group and they were barred on spurious accusations of “normalisation.” This is antisemitism poorly justified using the rhetoric of antizionism.

French Jews barred from interfaith Scout meeting in Tunisia