A BDS protester. A motion to defund organizations involved in the BDS movement was passed in the Dutch parliament. Photo: Mohamed Ouda via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – A non-binding motion to defund organizations involved in the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was passed in the Dutch parliament’s lower house on Thursday.

“Parliament requests the government to end as soon as possible direct or indirect funding for organizations which, according to their mission statements or activities, work to achieve or promote a boycott of Israel, and especially for those organizations that play a leading role” in the BDS movement, stated the motion written by Kees van der Staaij of the Reformed Political Party, a Protestant Christian party, theJerusalem Post reported.

Three Dutch lawmakers signed the motion, including van der Staaij, Joel Voordewind of the Christian Union party, and Han Ten Broeke, spokesman for the parliament’s Commission on Foreign Affairs and chair of its Defense Committee.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders of the Dutch Labor party has said that pro-BDS advertising is protected under freedom of expression, but the Dutch government is officially opposed to boycotting Israel.