What is the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement?

BDS Movement is a weakly united anti Israeli Palestine-led movement that seeks to propagate non-violence against the Israeli method of treating the Palestinians. Its aims include calling on:

• Israeli product and corporate boycotts of companies involved in occupation,
• Disinvestment of investments and financial interests in Israel,
• Embargos and restrictions by governments and international bodies on Israel until it complies with certain conditions.

Three primary objectives are included in the movement, the first two of which are the cessation of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights, and the other is full equality to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the third is the vindication of the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their ancestral homes.

Background and Origins of the BDS Movement

The concept of BDS received a boost following the United Nations World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, that sparked discussions in Zionism and racism occurring during the second intifada. Inspired by the anti-apartheid campaigns launched against South Africa, Palestinian civil society organizations tried to create a global campaign and an international pressure on Israel with economic and political means.

The BDS appeal elicits feelings of solidarity with the Palestinians on their right to self-determination and human rights, that stresses on a principle of the Palestinians being entitled to the same freedom and privileges enjoyed by other humans globally.

Palestinian Right of Return

What Is the Palestinian Right of Return?

The Palestinian right of return is the political theory that Palestinian refugees displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and their descendants are entitled to piece of the offing in original homes they were disenfranchised in what is now Israel and the occupied territories. Palestinians and their supporters see it as a major human right under international law and it has been given special consideration in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948.

What Is the Right of Return for Palestinian Refugees?

This right considers the fact that the Palestinian refugees need to be given an opportunity to go back to their houses peacefully, and ensure that those who still do not or cannot go back home should be well compensated. Palestinians believe that this is necessary because it is a right to justice and restoration of dignity interrupted by decades of wars, displacement and occupation.

Abbas and the Political Realities

Palestinian leadership (consisting, e.g., of Mahmoud Abbas) has also pointed to the need to have the Palestinian right of return accepted by Israel in any peace talks. Abbas has cautioned that denying this right threatens to simply continue the cycle of conflict, and even contribute to the threat of violence and terrorism afterwards. The right of return is a significant stagnation issue in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiation and it goes back to demographic and political confrontation.

Impact and Campaigns of the BDS Movement

Since inception, BDS has started various campaigns across various locations globally; they have involved businesses, universities, cultural activities and even policies by governments with Israel connections. Scheduled activities:

• The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom passing United States university student government nonbinding resolutions,
• Calling on artists and entertainers to boycott shows in Israel as a way to communicate cultural and political solidarity,
• Petitioning of companies investing with companies that encourage the occupation by Israel.

Even though the economic effect is controversial, there is no doubt that the movement has made a huge impact in the discourse of individuals thereby placing the issue of Palestinian rights under the spotlight globally.

Opposing Views and the Charge of Antisemitism

The BDS movement is reported to have been widely criticized by Israel, a variety of Jewish organizations as well as governments that claim BDS as antisemitic because it attempts to delegitimize the Jewish state and is singling out Israel, particularly the Jewish state.

The adherents counter that BDS is not a Jewish-specific movement but instead applied to actions of the Israeli government, meaning that anti-Zionism is ethically different to full-scale antisemitism. The controversy has remained, since that time an essential part of the discussion of the freedom of speech, criticism accusing it, and the human rights movement.

Legal and Political Responses

Most notably, Israel and the U S have passed legislation or resolutions specifically countering BDS, which they view as a political threat. These include:

• Legislation penalising calls to boycott Israel,
• Foreign nationals advocating BDS, entry on a ban,
• Rejections of the movement in the form of resolutions stating it to be discriminatory.

On the other hand, some justify the BDS as a non-violent measure to exert pressure to get rights and justice.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement (BDS) is a central movement in the fight of the Palestinians in agitating for their rights by means of nonviolent resistance.The right of the Palestinian return is one of the most important and controversial issues of their intentions, which entails the two most fundamental questions of justice and identity.

Straddling the boundary between inflammatory and controversial, BDS is at the center of the debate around Israel and Palestine at the global scale, which has given rise to even more controversy in the context of human rights, the rights of statehood and scope of political action.