The resolution passed on Nov. 11 by the European Commission to mark products originating beyond the Green Line — in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights — has raised the fury of the Israeli government. Although the resolution was described by the Europeans as merely "technical," it is seen in Israel as reflecting the "boycott trend" against Israel.

Until summer 2015, Israeli decision-makers tended to play down the significance of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, although it has been operating for over a decade now in the economic, cultural and academic arenas. The movement seeks to pressure Israel to end the "occupation of Arab lands," to recognize the rights of Palestinian refugees in accordance with UN Resolution 194 on the issue, and to act to ensure full equality for the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel.

A series of events in the international arena, above all the Palestinian bid to FIFA, the international federation of soccer associations, to suspend Israel from world soccer, as well as the statement by French telecom giant Orange CEO Stephane Richard on exiting the Israeli market, "convinced" the Israeli government that it is facing a "strategic threat" to the very existence of the state. In light of the emerging circumstances, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to implement a 2014 resolution to establish a special task force to fight the anti-Israeli sanctions. The task force, standing at some 100 million Israeli shekels (roughly $25.5 million) and covering 10 new job positions, was approved in June as part of the budget of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs headed by Minister Gilad Erdan.

Al-Monitor asked ministry officials for information on the issue, but they refused to divulge details on the plans of the new task force, instead noting on condition of anonymity that "it is expected to officially start operations only on Jan. 1, 2016." However, in early October, when the diplomatic-security Cabinet endorsed the establishment of a task force to combat the anti-Israeli boycott campaign as a new government office, it was reported that this office would operate on two levels: first, gathering both overt and covert information on the boycott organizations, inter alia through outsourcing, with the view of using the intelligence gathered to draw an updated picture of the activities of the sanctions movements and ultimately foiling them; and second, acting to thwart by legal measures the BDS activities.