What is Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and does it help?
BDS is an international, non-violent means of resistance against Israel's violations of international law and its ongoing illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The BDS call came from within Palestine, and since 2005 over 170 organisations have joined the movement, taking it from strength to strength. It is now endorsed by trade unions, student unions, faith gro
ups, prominent writers/artists and solidarity movements from a ll over the world. Boycott
Boycotts can take many forms, including cultural, academic, and consumer initiatives. Focus for the UK boycott has been on trade with Israel, in particular with illegal Israeli settlements. Please visit our current campaigns page for the latest boycott action.
Divestment
Divestment is the targeting of corporations that are complicit in the occupation—and therefore Israel's violations of international law. This includes supporting the building, functioning, and economic growth of the illegal settlements.
War on Want has an excellent
report entitled: Profiting From the Occupatio n, which lists several companies involved in this wa y. Sanctions
Sanctions are political trade restrictions, put in place by one government to another, designed to put pressure on that government to change their actions. In this case, we are calling on our UK government to end its complici
ty. To find out more go to the BDS website: