Why I believe the BDS movement has never been more important than now

At times of carnage, herd-like agitation and tribal polarization, many may dismiss ethical principles as a nuisance or an intellectual luxury. I cannot and shall not. I desire nothing more than seeing an end to all violence in Palestine and everywhere else, and this is precisely why I am committed to struggling against the root causes of violence: oppression and injustice.

I have dear friends and colleagues in the Gaza “prison camp”, as former British Prime Minister David Cameron once called it, a modern-day ghetto whose 2.3 million residents are predominantly refugees descending from communities that faced massacres and planned ethnic cleansing during the 1948 Nakba.

BDS: how a controversial non-violent movement has transformed the Israeli-Palestinian debate

The movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel – known as BDS – has been driving the world a little bit mad. Since its founding 13 years ago, it has acquired nearly as many enemies as the Israelis and Palestinians combined. It has hindered the efforts of Arab states to fully break their own decades-old boycott in pursuit of increasingly overt cooperation with Israel. It has shamed the Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah by denouncing its security and economic collaboration with Israel’s army and military administration. It has annoyed the Palestine Liberation Organization by encroaching on its position as the internationally recognised advocate and representative of Palestinians worldwide.

An Irish bill on Israeli settlement goods could make history

On July 11, the upper house of the Irish parliament, the Seanad, will vote on a landmark bill that, if passed, would ban the purchase of goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements. The "Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018" was put forward by  Irish independent Senator Frances Black and co-signed by Senators Alice-Mary Higgins, Lynn Ruane, Colette Kelleher, John G Dolan, Grace O'Sullivan and David Norrison on January 24 this year.

New Orleans City Council Caves to Pressure From Jewish Groups, Rescinds Human Rights Resolution

Human rights activists earlier this month celebrated the passage of a historic resolution pledging to take steps to avoid contracting with or investing in corporations complicit in human rights abuses — but their victory was short-lived. On Thursday, New Orleans withdrew the resolution after backlash from Jewish groups and pro-Israel politicians prompted city council members to reconsider their support.

The resolution had made New Orleans the first city in the South — and one of the largest in the country — to pass an initiative in accordance with the campaign to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel for its occupation of Palestinian territories, known as BDS.

U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminally Outlaw Support for Boycott Campaign Against Israel

The criminalization of political speech and activism against Israel has become one of the gravest threats to free speech in the West. In France, activists have been arrested and prosecuted for wearing T-shirts advocating a boycott of Israel. The U.K. has enacted a series of measures designed to outlaw such activism. In the U.S., governors compete with one another over who can implement the most extreme regulations to bar businesses from participating in any boycotts aimed even at Israeli settlements, which the world regards as illegal. On U.S. campuses, punishment of pro-Palestinian students for expressing criticisms of Israel is so commonplace that the Center for Constitutional Rights refers to it as “the Palestine Exception” to free speech.

Israeli Government Is Petrified of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement

The following is an interview with Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace and the editor of On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice.

Mark Karlin: How is the charge of antisemitism used to smear critics of the Israeli government and its ignoble policies toward Palestinians?

Rebecca Vilkomerson: As Tony Lerman's contribution to the On Antisemitism book explores, Israel and its advocates have worked hard to portray criticism of the state of Israel as the "new antisemitism." However, using the charge of antisemitism to shut down legitimate criticism of Israeli policies diminishes the meaning of the term and makes it harder to combat the real thing.

Noam Chomsky: Israel’s Response to the United Nation's Resolution on Palestine Is 'Hysterical'

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution 14-0 condemning all Israeli settlements on Palestinian land as having “no legal validity” and amounting to “a flagrant violation under international law.” The resolution goes on to note that Israeli settlements pose “a major obstacle to the vision of two States living side-by-side in peace and security.”

This represents the first UNSC resolution in almost eight years concerning Israel and Palestine, and the first in over 35 years regarding the issue of Israeli settlements. Typically the U.S. would veto resolutions critical of Israel, but in this case, the Obama administration opted to abstain, in effect allowing the resolution to pass.

“We must counter Israel’s McCarthyism”: Meet the Palestinian intellectual Israel fears most

The time has long passed when one could dismiss the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement–calling for Palestinian rights as enshrined in international law and human rights discourse—as something “merely symbolic.”   The attacks on BDS evidenced in legislation pending in several states in America, in the criminalization of BDS in Canada and France and other countries, and Israel’s promotion of “civil targeted eliminations” of dissidents and human rights workers, only show how much fear the claim for Palestinian rights has struck amongst those who wish to deny those claims.

McGill must rectify its misleading and one-sided statement on the BDS movement

Dear Professor Fortier,

After the recent General Assembly vote for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and its subsequent failure to be ratified by the Students Society of McGill University (SSMU) you released a statement in which you write that the BDS movement "flies in the face of the tolerance and respect we cherish as values fundamental to a university" and that it proposes "actions that are contrary to the principles of academic freedom, equity, inclusiveness and the exchange of views and ideas in responsible, open discourse."

'Condemn' Canadians? What Would Dad Say, Justin?

Justin Trudeau is fine with violating Canadians' basic rights enshrined by his father 35 years ago.

This we learned when Trudeau's government chose to "condemn" any Canadian who supports a non-violent strategy of Boycott, Divestiture and Sanctions (BDS) until such time as Israel recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people.

Liberals' shameful BDS stand gives carte blanche to Israel

Here's a Middle East multiple choice question for you (warning: one of these will get you condemned by the government of Justin Trudeau).

Would you rather that the Palestinian people 1) once again take up armed struggle in order to end Israeli occupation of their land or 2) pursue a non-violent strategy of Boycott, Divestiture and Sanctions (BDS) until such time as Israel recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people?

The BDS Crackdown Is Dangerous For Democracy

For writing these words, I could be put in prison.

I'm in France, where last October, the country's highest court ruled that advocating for the movement to boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) companies dealing with Israeli settlements is a criminal offence.

Nine things Jason Kenney said during the BDS debate that should make you rage

Yesterday, the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP debated how much each party dislikes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel. The Liberals and the Conservatives argued that Canada should condemn the campaign. The NDP argued that despite how odious the party finds the campaign, that free speech should be defended. Only the Bloc argued that the campaign is legitimate criticism of Israel.