Campaign of the Month: International campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel

On 9th June 2005, after the International Court of Justice's ruling against Israel's apartheid wall, a coalition of Palestinian Civil Society Organisations issued a ‘Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against apartheid Israel until it complies with International Law'.

Why of this campaign:

Israel destroys Palestinian lives, livelihoods and homes daily, refuses to stop building its illegal settlements and apartheid wall on stolen land, continues to control Gaza while slicing the West Bank into Bantustans, denies Palestinian refugees their right to return, grows produce and sets up industrial zones on stolen Palestinian land, and operates an apartheid, racist system on both sides of the ‘green line’.

International pressure can help Israel cease its violations of international law and human rights. As Governments have failed to hold Israel accountable, it is up to people of conscience in civil society worldwide to heed Palestinian calls for protection and justice.

Despite the International Court of Justice ruling in 2004 that the Apartheid Wall is illegal, not a single government has acted to impose sanctions, ignoring the ICJ’s call to all states and parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take immediate action.

Boycott Israeli goods intends to campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions in line with this call from Palestinian civil society.

The campaign works to:

• Boycott Israeli goods and services


• Boycott Israeli cultural and sporting institutions who do not condemn Israel's ilegal occupation
• Boycott Israeli academic institutions and academics who do not condemn Israel's ilegal occupation


• Promote a campaign against tourism in apartheid Israel


• Promote divestment from companies who invest in apartheid Israel or profit from Israel's occupation and apartheid policies


• To camapign against companies who invest in apartheid Israel or profit from Israel's occupation and apartheid policies


• To persuade businesses to stop trading with apartheid Israel


• To campaign for an end to European Union government trade agreements with Israel


• To campaign for UK and EU sanctions against apartheid Israel until it complies with international humanitarian law


• To promote initiatives to decrease the isolation of the occupied Palestinian people and promote ethical, fairly traded Palestinian goods.

For more information:



http://bds-palestine.net/

http://bigcampaign.org.uk/