Frequently Asked Questions about Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions

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Read our Frequently Asked Questions about BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) economic pressure tactics to achieve Palestinian rights.

Thanks to the BDS National Committee, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, the Institute for Middle East Understanding, the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, and Birthright Unplugged for guidance on these answers.

What is BDS?

What is the call for academic and cultural boycott of Israel?

Doesn’t BDS hamper progress because it polarizes (and delegitimizes) rather than encouraging dialogue and diplomacy?

BDS is opposed by many Israelis who support an end to the Occupation. By calling for BDS, aren’t we alienating those Israeli allies and in effect strengthening the right wing?

“BDS is a kind of collective punishment. If you think collective punishment is wrong toward Palestinians, why do you advocate it toward Israelis?”

“The Israeli occupation is totally different from South African Apartheid. You’re using the wrong analogy and the wrong tactic.”

“Why are you singling out Israel for BDS? Lots of countries violate human rights. Why aren’t you campaigning for a boycott of Saudi Arabian companies, for example?”

“BDS will hurt Palestinians, who are just as dependent on the Israeli economy as Israelis are.”

“BDS only works if there’s widespread support. Don’t we have to first focus on educating people before we start a BDS campaign?”

“Is BDS the right tactic? We’re not nearly as strong as the anti-Apartheid South Africa movement was, and we’re up against so much more opposition.”

“How do I know which products to boycott or divest from?”

“Won’t an academic boycott infringe on academic freedom and silence progressive Israeli academics?”

“Why punish Israeli artists with a cultural boycott? Don’t art and music transcend politics?

What good does it do for international artists to refuse to perform/showcase in Israel?

“Isn’t culture a way to communicate more progressive messages? Why not go and instead communicate a message of peace?”

Main source for answers to #15 and #16: “Cultural Boycott of Israel Takes Off: After the Flotilla Massacre” (PACBI, June 2010).