The undergraduate student union at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, passed a motion on 22 February to support the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign. The vote passed with a 58 percent majority.
There is only one logical and civilized way to determine the owners of the land of Palestine and that is in the United Nations and its charters as agreed upon by 194 nations. Boycotts, divestments and sanctions may be the only route to compel Israel to understand that fact.
Read a thought-provoking essay that looks at the question: how do we communicate with people who have a deeply emotional attachment to the idea of Israel?
Ali ABUNIMAH: "Israel “quietly” pushed for anti-BDS legislation in US, UK" (The Electronic Intifada, Feb 24, 2016)): click here!
The Israeli government played a direct role in recent policy and legislative moves in the US, UK and other countries to suppress the free speech rights of citizens calling for the boycott of Israel over its human rights abuses. Israel is now planning to significantly step up its efforts to thwart the Palestine solidarity movement, through its embassies in key capitals.
Adri NIEUWHOF: "South African water conference called off amid protest at Israel’s role" (The Electronic Intifada, Feb 19, 2016)): click here!
A South African conference on water has been canceled following protests against the planned participation of an Israeli diplomat... Fioramonti, a political economist, said he believed it was “necessary” to support Palestinian and Israeli activists “seeking just and sustainable peace.” Backing Palestinian calls for an academic boycott of Israel, he issued a statement announcing his withdrawal from the conference.
Eman ELSHAIKH: "The U.S. Government Is Targeting the BDS Movement" (Muftah, Feb 17, 2016)): click here!
The Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement is succeeding in many places, most recently in the form of a robust academic boycott in Italy, where over two hundred academics from dozens of Italian universities pledged to boycott Israeli academic institutions until Israel ceases its pervasive violations of international law.
"Campaigners: UK government procurement guidance is intimidation, not ‘ban’ on boycotts " (MEMo, Feb 18, 2016)): click here!
The British government formally published Wednesday new guidance ostensibly intended to “stop inappropriate procurement boycotts by public authorities.” While the Conservatives have presented the document as a way of protecting Israel from the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, activists say that the measures actually fall short of a ‘ban’ on boycotts.
There is a very coordinated and well-financed campaign led by Israel and its supporters literally to criminalize political activism against Israeli occupation, based on the particular fear that the worldwide campaign of Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment, or BDS — modeled after the 1980s campaign that brought down the Israel-allied apartheid regime in South Africa — is succeeding.
Ali MILANI: "Ban or no ban, British students will continue to support BDS" (Middle East Eye, Feb 16, 2016)): click here!
Yesterday morning I - like many Palestinian and human rights activists - woke up to anger and frustration, as once again our government, a Conservative government, has come swooping to the aid of occupation and apartheid.
Ben WHITE: "Boycotting Israel isn't anti-Semitic – how many human rights groups need to condemn it until this is clear?" (The Independent, Feb 16, 2016)): click here!
Is the BDS movement singling out Israel? No – but the British government is singling it out for impunity.
The boycotting of goods produced on settlements in the West Bank by local councils and public bodies is to be outlawed, the government will announce this week.
The call for boycott is a response to the complicity of Israel’s cultural institutions in Israel’s crimes. Israeli settler-colonialism has always included attacks on Palestinian culture, from the looting of libraries during the ethnic cleansing of 1948, through to the violent attacks by Israeli authorities on Palestinian cultural events in Occupied East Jerusalem.
Daniella PELED: "Israel shouldn't celebrate Cameron's new boycott law - it won't save its image" (The Independent, Feb 15, 2016)): click here!
It’s easy to see why some in pro-Israel circles are claiming this new law as a landmark victory in the fight for Israel. They’re wrong: just as there is no military solution to the occupation, there is no legislative one to boycotting.
Oliver WRIGHT: "Israel boycott ban: Shunning Israeli goods to become criminal offence for public bodies and student unions" (The Independent, Feb 14, 2016)): click here!
Local councils, public bodies and even some university student unions are to be banned by law from boycotting “unethical” companies, as part of a controversial crackdown being announced by the Government.
For decades, Israel has failed to uphold its duties as Occupying Power and has instead deepened its occupation and regime of colonialism and apartheid. Human rights violations rising to the level of international crimes, including unlawful killings, torture, forced transfer, and other forms of collective punishment have become the norm.
By popular demand, below is a list of over 100 U.S. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Victories, released to commemorate ten years since Palestinian civil society issued the call for BDS.
In the Belgian city of Liege, organizers of an annual dance festival turned down an Israeli sponsorship of the event last week after boycott threats. Israel had initiated and offered to sponsor the festival after the Batsheva Dance troupe was chosen as an opening act. But, “at a later stage,” a cable sent from the embassy in Belgium to the Israeli ministry reads, “they informed us that they did not want to be tied to the embassy, were forgoing our support and returning the money. All of this because of the threat of a boycott. Protests made to the festival organizers failed to yield any results.”