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What is BDS?

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.

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Updates from the palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

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Open Letter

In an open letter, Palestinian performing arts collectives and cultural centers call on the famed Dutch violinist to respect the Palestinian nonviolent picket line and cancel his performances in Tel Aviv.

BNC Statement

The Palestinian BDS National Committee celebrates International Women's Day, says "Justice is always a feminist issue. And in turn, justice in Palestine is a feminist issue, and the rights of women are fundamental to our movement’s pursuit of a safe, just and dignified world for all."

Update

The call for BDS measures in Brazil is particularly significant because the country is one of the largest buyers of Israeli weapons and military technologies in the world.

Update

Ongoing talks on the possibility of EU purchases of Israel’s natural gas put into question the EU’s commitment to Palestinian rights under international law.

Update

The father of unjustly imprisoned 17-year-old Palestinian girl Ahed Tamimi has urged Grammy-nominated Uruguayan singer Natalia Oreiro to respect the Palestinian picket line and cancel her March 20, 2018 concert in Israel. Natalia has taken a stand for children’s rights before, and he hopes that she will refuse to help Israel cover up its abuse of the rights of Palestinian children.

Recently, over 25 prominent American artists and cultural figures have expressed their support for Ahed and for all Palestinian children in Israeli prisons.

February 26, 2018
Action Alert

Calls are mounting for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body of cycling, to take action to relocate the start of the famed Giro d’Italia cycling race from Israel.

With G4S losing dozens of contracts with UN agencies and private companies in Jordan and Lebanon and investments in Kuwait, Medjoul Dates boycott adopted by whosale markets in Morocco, and active campaigns in Egypt and Gulf states, the BDS campaign is intesifying in the Arab World. 

BDS campaigns intensify in the Arab World

BDS was a major factor behind the 46% drop in foreign direct investment in Israel in 2014, according to a UN report. Israeli exporters have repeatedly complained that it is getting harder to export products to Europe.

Experts say BDS having a growing economic impact

French multinational Veolia completely withdrew from Israel after a BDS campaign over its role in Israel’s colonisation of Palestinian land cost it billions of dollars in lost contracts.

Multinational Veolia sells Israel business

G4S provides security services and equipment to Israeli checkpoints, illegal settlements and prisons where Palestinian political prisoners are held without trial and subjected to torture.

G4S announces plans to sell Israeli subsidiary

Thousands of artists and cultural figures including Roger Waters, Marcel Khalife and Alice Walker support the cultural boycott of Israel and stars including Lauryn Hill, Elvis Costello and Vanessa Paradis have canceled shows in Israel following requests from the BDS movement.

Thousands of artists support cultural boycott

Academic associations in the US, Canada, Ireland, Qatar, South Africa and the UK have voted to support BDS. Supporters include the Teachers Union of Ireland and the American Studies Association in the US.

Academic associations and student unions support BDS

US churches including the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church (UMC) and several Quaker bodies have voted to divest from Israeli and international companies targeted by the BDS movement.

Major churches divest

Investors to have divested from companies targeted by the BDS movement include government pension funds in Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and Luxumbourg and investors including George Soros, the Bill Gates Foundation, the huge TIAA-CREF public sector pension fund in the US, Dutch pension giant PGGM

Divestment by governments and banks

Israel regards BDS as a “strategic threat” to its ongoing oppression of Palestinians and spending millions of dollars on sabotaging BDS and persuading supportive governments to repress BDS activism.

BDS seen as a "strategic" challenge to Israel's oppression

French telecoms giant Orange left the Israeli market after campaigning in France and Egypt over the role its Israeli franchise holder played in supporting the Israeli military and its attacks on Gaza and its involvement in illegal Israeli settlements.

Orange leaves Israeli market