WHAT
What does B.D.S stand for?
מה הראשי תיבות של בי-די-אס?
Boycott. withdrawing support academic, cultural, institutional support from Israel
Divestment. withdraw investments from the state of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that sustain Israeli apartheid
סילוק
Sanctions. campaigns pressure governments by banning business with illegal Israeli settlements, ending military trade and free-trade agreements.
סנקציות
Name one person who supports BDS
ex: Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd), Lauryn Hill, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Angela Davis, Evo Morales (president of Bolivia), Stephen Hawkings, Evo Morales (president of Bolivia),
How many official demands does the BDS movement have?
3
What is one response the Israeli government has had to the BDS movement?
“The Israeli government has recently allocated at least 25 million dollars to combat BDS, in addition to allocating massive resources to its intelligence services for fighting the movement.
There are now dedicated anti-BDS staff at many of Israel’s overseas embassies in the west.”
How have Jews supported BDS?
Organizations such as:
Jewish Voice For Peace
Support two-state or binational state
Demands: US withdrawl military aid until occupation ceases,
Stance on anti-semitism: Our job as jews to fight for other minorities is more important than antisemitic threats
Jews For Justice In Palestine
What state solution does BDS support?
באיזה פתרון מדיני תומך הבי-די-אס?
Neither. אף אחד מהם
The BDS movement does not advocate for a particular solution to the conflict and does not call for either a “one-state solution” or a “two-state solution”. Instead, BDS focuses on the realization of basic rights and the implementation of international law.”
Name one country that supports BDS?
ex: Ireland, South Africa, states in Spain, Sweden,
Name one demand of the BDS movement.
“Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality”
“One-fifth of Israel’s citizens are Palestinians who remained inside the armistice lines after 1948. They are subjected to a system of racial discrimination enshrined in more than 50 laws that impact every aspect of their lives”
According to BDS, why should Israeli artists not be allowed to perform overseas? / Why artists not perform in Israel?
Often when Israeli artists perform overseas using government funding, they have to sign a contract promising to “promote the policy interests of the State of Israel”. Clearly, such performances become propaganda activities to rebrand Israeli apartheid. When international artists violate the boycott and perform in Israel, it helps to normalize Israel’s crimes. That’s why the Israeli government portrays concerts in Israel as a sign of support for its policies.
How is B.D.S funded?
BDS is funded by NGOs, churches, unions
What % of democrats in the U.S agree that Israel is a "racist" country?
According to Lunzt Poll: 47%
Name one country that has policy opposing BDS?
ex: Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, states of US,
Name one demand of the BDS movement
“Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194”
" As a result of this systematic forced displacement, there are now more than 7.25 million Palestinian refugees. They are denied their right to return to their homes simply because they are not Jewish.”
Is BDS a real threat to Israel?
Not really...
a scattered pullout by some companies, "Israel’s economy is well-suited to resist boycotts because it is less dependent on exports of commodities, which can be sourced elsewhere, than on sales of intellectual property, like software, and business-to-business products, against which it is harder to mobilize consumers."
However, BDS does hurt Israel's reputation.
How many people are involved in the BDS movement?
Millions worldwide in many countries
What is one argument that BDS is not anti-semetic?
ex: BDS targets companies not individuals
ex: The movement is supported by Jewish groups as well who claim it is their responsibility to support oppressed people
"BDS campaigns target the Israeli state because of its responsibility for serious violations of international law and the companies and institutions that participate in and are complicit in these Israeli violations. The BDS movement does not boycott or campaign against any individual or group simply because they are Israeli.
The world is growing increasingly weary of Israel's attempts to conflate criticism of its violations of international law with anti-Semitism and to conflate Zionism with Judaism. Israel is a state, not a person. Everyone has the right to criticize the unjust actions of a state."
Name one company or campaign that BDS has opposed.
ex: Puma, Bollywood, Eurovision, Giro d’ Italia, FIFA, HSBC
Name one demand of the BDS movement
“Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall”
“Israel has imposed a medieval siege on Gaza, turning it into the largest open-air prison in the world. Israel also regularly carries out large-scale assaults on Gaza that are widely condemned as constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Has B.D.S accomplished anything?
Companies such as: "Orange, G4S and Unilever have announced steps to end their participation in Israel’s crimes"
The EU has created guidelines that require goods exported from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories to be labeled
According to the UN: "BDS was a major factor behind the 46% drop in foreign direct investment in 2014"
"A Rand Corporation study predicts BDS could reduce Israel’s GDP “by 1 to 2 percent” annually over the next 10 years"
How widespread is BDS on college campuses?
BDS is common on college campuses; student organizations often pass resolutions to endorse BDS; in the last 14 a total of 38 schools have approved a BDS resolution in the last 14 years
Overall, about 97% percent of American campuses have had no divestment votes and have little or no BDS activity.
Why Israel?
And not North Korea or USA!
BDS is a Palestine-led movement and was founded by Palestinians.
The methods used by BDS will not be effective in all for all countries.
Who Founded BDS?
BDS was founded in 2005 the BDS movement was launched by 170 Palestinian unions, refugee networks, women’s organisations, professional associations, popular resistance committees and other Palestinian civil society bodies.
It was inspired by the apartheid movement of SOuth Africa
Why doesn't BDS try to engage in dialogue with Israel?
"The BDS movement opposes activities that create the false impression of symmetry between the colonizer and the colonized, that portray Israel as a ‘normal’ state like any other, or that hold Palestinians, the oppressed, and Israel, the oppressor, as both equally responsible for “the conflict”.
Recent “negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinian leadership have completely ignored human rights and sidelined international law. As a result, they have failed to lead to freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians"
"Negotiations will at some point be needed to discuss the details of how Palestinian rights can be restored. These negotiations can only take place when Palestinian rights are recognised."
Does BDS endorse violence?
No.
BDS is officially a non-violent organization.
Mr. Barghouti (co-founder of BDS): “considers violence targeting noncombatants as illegal and immoral.” but "Asked if B.D.S. condemned violence that targeted Israeli soldiers, he declined to comment."
How does BDS choose what companies to boycott?
BDS tries to focus its boycotts on a number of campaigns that are deeply involved in Israel.
BDS does not try to target all companies, for example: Intel the chip manufacture that has invested billions into Israel's economy but is not a BDS target because of its near monopoly status in its sector, making a consumer boycott of the company hard to succeed