France’s embassy in Israel said Mutuel headquarters in France is violating a BDS-related law. Photo: Ji-Elle via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – France’s embassy in Israel said that Credit Mutuel, a major French bank, is violating a French law by servicing an account held by an arm of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

“The French opposition against any form of boycott is well-known. There are strict rules in France against calls for a boycott. These rules apply notably to all economic operators,” the Embassy of France in Israel said regarding the bank account of BDS France, the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.

France’s 2003 Lellouche law prohibits discrimination based on nationality and has been applied to penalize BDS activists who aim to hurt Israel’s economy.

Frédéric Monot, a spokesman for Credit Mutuel, had told the Jerusalem Post last week, “We do not disclose information covered by banking secrecy, but we strictly respect the application of French law.”

Roger Cukierman, head of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, said that “a boycott is forbidden by law” in France, and that the BDS France account in Credit Mutuel should be closed.