At the start of the weekly Israeli Cabinet meeting today (Feb. 2) Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu stated: “Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust. Moreover, they will not achieve their goal. First, they cause the Palestinians to adhere to their intransigent positions and thus push peace further away. Second, no pressure will cause me to concede the vital interests of the State of Israel, especially the security of Israel’s citizens. For both of these reasons, threats to boycott the State of Israel will not achieve their goal.”

Prime Minster Netanyahu was responding to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s threats that: “Today’s status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100 percent, cannot be maintained. It’s not sustainable. It’s illusionary. There’s a momentary prosperity, there’s a momentary peace,” said Kerry. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kerry was relating to Israel’s current economic situation, claiming that it will be seriously debilitated if the peace talks with the Palestinians fail.

Earlier today Minister of Economy Naftali Bennet came out harshly against Kerry’s threats: “The Jewish nation is stronger than the threats leveled against it. Let’s be clear: there has never been a nation the relinquished its land as a result of threats. Only security will bring economic stability, not a terrorist state next to Ben-Gurion Airport. We expect our friends around the world to stand beside us, against anti-Semitic boycott efforts targeting Israel, and not for them to be their amplifier,” he said.

Denmark’s second largest bank, Danske Bank, recently announced that it has blacklisted Israel’s Bank Hapoalim because of its links to construction in Judea and Samaria. However, Bank Hapoalim announced that it has no savings or investments of any kind made by the Danske Bank.

By Aryeh Savir

Tazpit News Agency