22 july 2015
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini
European Council on Foreign Relations calls on EU to differentiate between activities in Israel and in disputed territories, targeting banking, loans, tax-exemption status and recognition of professional qualifications from West Bank institutions.
The European Union agreed this week to push ahead with labeling Israeli goods made in settlements in the West Bank, a move that has alarmed the Israeli government; but now there are proposals to go much further, including targeting Israeli banks.
In a paper to be published on Wednesday, the European Council on Foreign Relations, whose proposals frequently inform EU policymaking, argues that the EU is in breach of its own laws and must move much more firmly to distinguish its dealings with Israel from Israel's activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which it has captured in 1967 Six-Day War.
European diplomats have long said that labelling is only the first in a series of steps the EU could take against Israel over its settlements policy, one that in financial terms is expected to have a relatively minor impact on the Israeli economy.
But the new proposals would go much deeper and further, reaching into banking, loans and mortgages, qualifications earned in settlement institutions and the tax-exempt status of European charities that deal with Israeli settlements.
European Union officials have talked in private about the steps that might follow labelling, but there are no formal European Commission proposals in the works at this stage.
"Under its own regulations and principles, Europe cannot legally escape from its duty to differentiate between Israel and its activities in the Palestinian territories," says the report, titled 'EU Differentiation and Israeli Settlements'. The authors argue that by pushing much further to separate the EU's dealings with Israel from the settlements, it will force Israel to decide what sort of relationship it wants with Europe and in turn encourage it to return to talks with the Palestinians on a two-state solution to the conflict.
Financial squeeze
The most significant proposal is on banking, where large Israeli institutions have daily dealings with major European banks, while also providing loans and financing to Israeli businesses and individuals based in the settlements. Under European Commission guidelines from 2013, EU- and member-state-funded lending cannot be provided to Israeli entities operating in the territories.
With the British government holding a controlling stake in some banks following the financial crisis, that would in theory prevent those banks providing financing to Israeli counterparts that have dealings in the settlements. "Do day-to-day dealings between European and Israeli banks comply with the EU requirement not to provide material support to the occupation?" the report asks, saying it is an issue that EU member states have yet to resolve. The issue extends into loans and mortgages.
An Israeli with dual European citizenship should, in theory, not be able to use a settlement property as collateral for a European loan since Israeli-issued property deeds are not recognized. Another area in which the EU may be in violation of its own rules relates to European charities that are tax-exempt while using funds to support activities in the settlements, which the EU regards as illegal under international law.
And the report questions whether Europe should accept qualifications from academic, medical and other Israeli institutions based in the West Bank given that it does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over the territory.
Likewise, there is a question mark over whether the EU should be dealing with Israeli institutions - such as the Ministry of Justice and the national police headquarters - which are based in East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has described Europe's steps on labeling as discriminatory and wrong-headed, suggesting they are akin to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which Israel regards as anti-Semitic.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised his concerns about labelling in a meeting with the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini in May. Mogherini raised the issue of the EU further differentiating its dealing with Israel. Mattia Toaldo, one of the authors of the ECFR paper, said the EU needed to explain more clearly the legal obligation the EU faces when it comes to differentiation, making a sharp distinction with the BDS campaign. And the ultimate aim, he said, should be to urge Israel towards a two-state solution.
"Differentiation is a legal prerequisite for the EU in order to avoid violating its own laws," he said. "You have to do it legally and by the book, but it is also beneficial to the peace process because it changes the calculations by the Israelis."
European Council on Foreign Relations calls on EU to differentiate between activities in Israel and in disputed territories, targeting banking, loans, tax-exemption status and recognition of professional qualifications from West Bank institutions.
The European Union agreed this week to push ahead with labeling Israeli goods made in settlements in the West Bank, a move that has alarmed the Israeli government; but now there are proposals to go much further, including targeting Israeli banks.
In a paper to be published on Wednesday, the European Council on Foreign Relations, whose proposals frequently inform EU policymaking, argues that the EU is in breach of its own laws and must move much more firmly to distinguish its dealings with Israel from Israel's activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which it has captured in 1967 Six-Day War.
European diplomats have long said that labelling is only the first in a series of steps the EU could take against Israel over its settlements policy, one that in financial terms is expected to have a relatively minor impact on the Israeli economy.
But the new proposals would go much deeper and further, reaching into banking, loans and mortgages, qualifications earned in settlement institutions and the tax-exempt status of European charities that deal with Israeli settlements.
European Union officials have talked in private about the steps that might follow labelling, but there are no formal European Commission proposals in the works at this stage.
"Under its own regulations and principles, Europe cannot legally escape from its duty to differentiate between Israel and its activities in the Palestinian territories," says the report, titled 'EU Differentiation and Israeli Settlements'. The authors argue that by pushing much further to separate the EU's dealings with Israel from the settlements, it will force Israel to decide what sort of relationship it wants with Europe and in turn encourage it to return to talks with the Palestinians on a two-state solution to the conflict.
Financial squeeze
The most significant proposal is on banking, where large Israeli institutions have daily dealings with major European banks, while also providing loans and financing to Israeli businesses and individuals based in the settlements. Under European Commission guidelines from 2013, EU- and member-state-funded lending cannot be provided to Israeli entities operating in the territories.
With the British government holding a controlling stake in some banks following the financial crisis, that would in theory prevent those banks providing financing to Israeli counterparts that have dealings in the settlements. "Do day-to-day dealings between European and Israeli banks comply with the EU requirement not to provide material support to the occupation?" the report asks, saying it is an issue that EU member states have yet to resolve. The issue extends into loans and mortgages.
An Israeli with dual European citizenship should, in theory, not be able to use a settlement property as collateral for a European loan since Israeli-issued property deeds are not recognized. Another area in which the EU may be in violation of its own rules relates to European charities that are tax-exempt while using funds to support activities in the settlements, which the EU regards as illegal under international law.
And the report questions whether Europe should accept qualifications from academic, medical and other Israeli institutions based in the West Bank given that it does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over the territory.
Likewise, there is a question mark over whether the EU should be dealing with Israeli institutions - such as the Ministry of Justice and the national police headquarters - which are based in East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has described Europe's steps on labeling as discriminatory and wrong-headed, suggesting they are akin to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which Israel regards as anti-Semitic.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised his concerns about labelling in a meeting with the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini in May. Mogherini raised the issue of the EU further differentiating its dealing with Israel. Mattia Toaldo, one of the authors of the ECFR paper, said the EU needed to explain more clearly the legal obligation the EU faces when it comes to differentiation, making a sharp distinction with the BDS campaign. And the ultimate aim, he said, should be to urge Israel towards a two-state solution.
"Differentiation is a legal prerequisite for the EU in order to avoid violating its own laws," he said. "You have to do it legally and by the book, but it is also beneficial to the peace process because it changes the calculations by the Israelis."
Picture from Switzerland-Israel game of 2005, Basel
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Human rights campaigners are planning protests at Israel’s participation in the FIL Rathbones Women’s 2015 U19 Lacrosse World Championship that starts tomorrow in Edinburgh at the Peffermill sports centre.
Campaigners are responding to the Palestinian call for a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in support of Palestinian rights.The protest is taking place since Israel has continued to violate international law, while enforcing the siege of the Gaza strip, in July 2014 the Israeli armed forces launched ‘Operation Protective Edge’ against the people of Gaza.
During seven weeks of sustained onslaught, over 2,200 Gazans were killed. Israeli forces targeted every level of Gazan infrastructure destroying hospitals, schools, utility sources and many homes.Only a year later, protesters argue that it should not be business as usual and called for Israel’s Lacrosse team to be excluded from the Championships taking place in Scotland.
Since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies. All forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine.
On 16 July 2014 four young Palestinian boys were killed as they played football on the beach in Gaza. Despite eye witness accounts of international journalists the investigation into the murder of these children at play has been closed with no further action to be taken.
Palestinian civil society calls for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights. The aim of the campaign is to isolate and exclude Israel, with no ‘business as usual’ or sporting and cultural exchanges until it brings an end to its apartheid regime.
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called for demonstrations at each of the matches involving Israel – Thursday 23rd JULY Israel vs Korea, Friday 24th JULY Israel vs Nz, Saturday 25th JULY Israel v Finland and Sunday 26th JULY Israel v USA.
Angus Maclean, of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, explained the reasons behind the demonstrations. “For 67 years Israel has defied international law and Palestinians are calling on civil society and grassroots organisations to take a stand against ethnic cleansing and genocide. We will be present at each of the matches to protest and send a clear message that Israel’s involvement in this, and any, international sporting event is unacceptable.”
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Human rights campaigners are planning protests at Israel’s participation in the FIL Rathbones Women’s 2015 U19 Lacrosse World Championship that starts tomorrow in Edinburgh at the Peffermill sports centre.
Campaigners are responding to the Palestinian call for a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in support of Palestinian rights.The protest is taking place since Israel has continued to violate international law, while enforcing the siege of the Gaza strip, in July 2014 the Israeli armed forces launched ‘Operation Protective Edge’ against the people of Gaza.
During seven weeks of sustained onslaught, over 2,200 Gazans were killed. Israeli forces targeted every level of Gazan infrastructure destroying hospitals, schools, utility sources and many homes.Only a year later, protesters argue that it should not be business as usual and called for Israel’s Lacrosse team to be excluded from the Championships taking place in Scotland.
Since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies. All forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine.
On 16 July 2014 four young Palestinian boys were killed as they played football on the beach in Gaza. Despite eye witness accounts of international journalists the investigation into the murder of these children at play has been closed with no further action to be taken.
Palestinian civil society calls for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights. The aim of the campaign is to isolate and exclude Israel, with no ‘business as usual’ or sporting and cultural exchanges until it brings an end to its apartheid regime.
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called for demonstrations at each of the matches involving Israel – Thursday 23rd JULY Israel vs Korea, Friday 24th JULY Israel vs Nz, Saturday 25th JULY Israel v Finland and Sunday 26th JULY Israel v USA.
Angus Maclean, of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, explained the reasons behind the demonstrations. “For 67 years Israel has defied international law and Palestinians are calling on civil society and grassroots organisations to take a stand against ethnic cleansing and genocide. We will be present at each of the matches to protest and send a clear message that Israel’s involvement in this, and any, international sporting event is unacceptable.”
21 july 2015
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely
Deputy Foreign Minister Hotovely meets European officials to demand governments stop providing cash to allegedly anti-Israel organizations.
Israel is demanding that European Union member states halt funding to non-governmental organizations allegedly working to delegitimize the Jewish state. The Foreign Ministry claims that European governments provide 100-200 million euros annually to said groups.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely has begun a series of consultations with European foreign ministers, their deputies, and ambassadors of several European countries, in which she is presenting evidence that their governments provide financial assistance to organizations that support boycotts against Israel, "blacken its face around the world, accuse it of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and war crimes; deprive the Jewish people of their right to self-determination, call to prosecute Israel in the International Criminal Court at The Hague, and support the right of return".
Hotovely claimed that some of these organizations are associated with and actively support terror groups.
Hotovely has met withthe Dutch foreign minister, the Spanish deputy foreign minister, and the ambassadors of Sweden, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Switzerland.
According to Hotovely, the diplomats were presented with detailed documents collected by the Foreign Ministry and the NGO Monitor organization that prove the "problematic" funding. She emphasized that Israel sees support for organizations opposing its right to exist as crossing a red line.
Hotovely has instructed Israeli ambassadors in Europe to demand that ministries increase thier overview of funds given to such groups, warning that if her premptive diplomatic move fails, Israel will be forced to adopt legislation forbidding foreign countries from backing organizations with a clear anti-Israel bent.
According to Deputy Minister Hotovely, these are some of the European investments in such organizations in recent years:
The Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, managed by the Institute of Law at Birzeit University in the West Bank, which received $10.5 million from the governments of Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The funds were to go to 24 political organizations over three years.
In 2014, the governments of Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the EU provided NIS 415,741 to the Coalition of Women for Peace, an organization that supports aspects of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
The Netherlands provided NIS 13 million in the last three years to numerous NGOs, including Who Profits, Al-Haq, the Coalition of Women for Peace, and Al-Mezan.
Denmark provided NIS 23 million in the last three years to several NGOs, including Breaking the Silence, BADIL, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and other Palestinian organizations.
Switzerland provided NIS 5 million over the last three years to organizations like the Alternative Information Center, Zochrot, the Applied Research Institute, and Terrestrial Jerusalem.
Spain gave NIS 3.8 million in the last three years to groups including Breaking the Silence, the Coalition of Women for Peace, the Alternative Information Center, and NOVA, a Spanish BDS organization.
The United Kingdom provided NIS 12 million in 2008-2011 to Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din, Gisha, Bimkom, Terrestrial Jerusalem, and No Legal Frontiers.
Deputy Foreign Minister Hotovely meets European officials to demand governments stop providing cash to allegedly anti-Israel organizations.
Israel is demanding that European Union member states halt funding to non-governmental organizations allegedly working to delegitimize the Jewish state. The Foreign Ministry claims that European governments provide 100-200 million euros annually to said groups.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely has begun a series of consultations with European foreign ministers, their deputies, and ambassadors of several European countries, in which she is presenting evidence that their governments provide financial assistance to organizations that support boycotts against Israel, "blacken its face around the world, accuse it of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and war crimes; deprive the Jewish people of their right to self-determination, call to prosecute Israel in the International Criminal Court at The Hague, and support the right of return".
Hotovely claimed that some of these organizations are associated with and actively support terror groups.
Hotovely has met withthe Dutch foreign minister, the Spanish deputy foreign minister, and the ambassadors of Sweden, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Switzerland.
According to Hotovely, the diplomats were presented with detailed documents collected by the Foreign Ministry and the NGO Monitor organization that prove the "problematic" funding. She emphasized that Israel sees support for organizations opposing its right to exist as crossing a red line.
Hotovely has instructed Israeli ambassadors in Europe to demand that ministries increase thier overview of funds given to such groups, warning that if her premptive diplomatic move fails, Israel will be forced to adopt legislation forbidding foreign countries from backing organizations with a clear anti-Israel bent.
According to Deputy Minister Hotovely, these are some of the European investments in such organizations in recent years:
The Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, managed by the Institute of Law at Birzeit University in the West Bank, which received $10.5 million from the governments of Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The funds were to go to 24 political organizations over three years.
In 2014, the governments of Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the EU provided NIS 415,741 to the Coalition of Women for Peace, an organization that supports aspects of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
The Netherlands provided NIS 13 million in the last three years to numerous NGOs, including Who Profits, Al-Haq, the Coalition of Women for Peace, and Al-Mezan.
Denmark provided NIS 23 million in the last three years to several NGOs, including Breaking the Silence, BADIL, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and other Palestinian organizations.
Switzerland provided NIS 5 million over the last three years to organizations like the Alternative Information Center, Zochrot, the Applied Research Institute, and Terrestrial Jerusalem.
Spain gave NIS 3.8 million in the last three years to groups including Breaking the Silence, the Coalition of Women for Peace, the Alternative Information Center, and NOVA, a Spanish BDS organization.
The United Kingdom provided NIS 12 million in 2008-2011 to Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din, Gisha, Bimkom, Terrestrial Jerusalem, and No Legal Frontiers.
20 july 2015
Israeli newspaper Yada’out Ahrenout said yesterday that a conference to be held today in Brussels between European Union (EU) states will make an official decision on whether or not to mark goods produced in Israeli settlements, an initiative which would make such goods easier to boycott on the European markets.
The newspaper said that the Israeli ambassador to the EU had described the implementation of this step as a manifestation of political pressure on Israel to change its position via economic means.
The newspaper added that Israel was afraid of additional steps which could be taken by the EU after a resolution to mark settlement goods. The marking would indicate that the goods were produced in an Israeli settlement, which are illegal under international law. If the EU does decide in the coming few months to mark these goods, Israel will be put in a very awkward position.
Reports of Israel’s fear came after many meetings were held between senior European officials headed by EU Commissioner Frederika Moghreney and Foreign Ministers from France, Germany and Britain to discuss the implementation of the plan to mark settlement products, with the decision expected today.
According to the newspaper, the EU has studied and discussed over the last three years the project to mark settlement goods, but it had faltered under pressure from US Foreign Minister to prioritise negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
Israeli ambassador to the EU described the step as a manifestation of political pressure on Israel in order to influence the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via economic means, which he said was illegal intervention.
He added that this European resolution would be a step towards the imposition of sanctions on the Israel state, pointing out that it would support international activists in their boycott of Israel.
An EU spokesman responded to the remarks made by the Israeli ambassador, stressing that the marking of goods was a fundamental part of EU consumer policy. He added that the EU would help countries to implement the policy and publicise details on settlement goods explaining their origin because the EU viewed the settlements as illegally located on occupied land. He pointed out that countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium and Denmark had already begun marking these products.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning the marking of settlement goods. It said that the marking would confuse European consumers, who would then stop buying Israeli goods in general.
The newspaper said that the Israeli ambassador to the EU had described the implementation of this step as a manifestation of political pressure on Israel to change its position via economic means.
The newspaper added that Israel was afraid of additional steps which could be taken by the EU after a resolution to mark settlement goods. The marking would indicate that the goods were produced in an Israeli settlement, which are illegal under international law. If the EU does decide in the coming few months to mark these goods, Israel will be put in a very awkward position.
Reports of Israel’s fear came after many meetings were held between senior European officials headed by EU Commissioner Frederika Moghreney and Foreign Ministers from France, Germany and Britain to discuss the implementation of the plan to mark settlement products, with the decision expected today.
According to the newspaper, the EU has studied and discussed over the last three years the project to mark settlement goods, but it had faltered under pressure from US Foreign Minister to prioritise negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
Israeli ambassador to the EU described the step as a manifestation of political pressure on Israel in order to influence the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via economic means, which he said was illegal intervention.
He added that this European resolution would be a step towards the imposition of sanctions on the Israel state, pointing out that it would support international activists in their boycott of Israel.
An EU spokesman responded to the remarks made by the Israeli ambassador, stressing that the marking of goods was a fundamental part of EU consumer policy. He added that the EU would help countries to implement the policy and publicise details on settlement goods explaining their origin because the EU viewed the settlements as illegally located on occupied land. He pointed out that countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium and Denmark had already begun marking these products.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning the marking of settlement goods. It said that the marking would confuse European consumers, who would then stop buying Israeli goods in general.
14 july 2015
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Palestinian call for a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, US based activists have published a list of what they describe as 100 BDS successes.
The list includes more than 30 "Academic & Cultural Boycott Successes", as well as more than 50 examples of "Faith-Based Successes", more than 40 campus-based actions, as well as successes from the worlds of business and municipal government.
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a coalition of hundreds of U.S. organizations working to end US support for Israel's apartheid policies, says the list will be periodically updated.
According to Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director of the US Campaign, the list "is clear evidence that more and more ordinary Americans are fed up with the status quo of unconditional US support for Israel, its brutal occupation and theft of Palestinian land, and other human rights abuses, and recognize in BDS an effective, nonviolent way to support Palestinians in their struggle for freedom."
BDS@10: Top 100 U.S. Victories!
By popular demand, below is a list of over 100 U.S. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Victories, released to commemorate ten years since Palestinian civil society issued the call for BDS. Click on the social media icons far above to share this important resource with friends and followers.
Do you see something missing, or that needs to be changed? This is a work in progress and we need your help to keep it up to date. Please click here to let us know so we can add it!
Campus Victories (See also Academic Boycott & Campus Labor Victories, listed separately)
June 22, 2015 - Columbia University divests from private prisons including G4S, following coalition-led campaign - Manhattan, New York
April 30, 2015 - Oglethorpe University student goverment passes resolution to divest from Israeli occupation - Atlanta, Georgia
April 29, 2015 - Princeton graduate students pass divestment referendum - Princeton, New Jersey
April 22, 2015 - Earlham Student Senate passes resolution in support of divestment from Israeli occupation - Richmond, Indiana
April 16, 2015 - Wesleyan University president agrees to divest university from prisons as first step when Wesleyan students call for divestment from fossil fuels, prisons, and Israeli occupation - Middletown, Connecticut
March 25, 2015 - Student Government of Loyola Chicago passes resolution to divest - Chicago, Illinois
March 2, 2015 - Toledo student government calls for University divestment by margin of 21:4 - Toledo, Ohio
February 19, 2015 - Northwestern University Student Government calls for university divestment - Evanston, Illinois
February 17, 2015 - Stanford divestment passes in a landslide victory - Stanford, California
February 8, 2015 - University of California Student Association -- representing hundreds of thousands of UC students statewide -- endorses call for UC divestment in support of Palestinian rights - State of California
May 29, 2015 - University of California at Davis Associated Students pass divestment bill - Davis, California
December 5, 2014 - Wesleyan University Dining Facilities Remove Sabra Following Successful Boycott Campaign - Middletown, Connecticut
November, 2014 - University of California at Los Angeles undergraduate student government passes divestment resolution - Los Angeles, California
August 9-10, 2014 - United Students Against Sweatshops Endorses BDS
May 28, 2014 - University of California at Santa Cruz student government passes divestment resolution - Santa Cruz, California
May 23, 2014 - DePaul student body votes for divestment despite Israeli government interference - Chicago, Illinois
May, 2014 - Wesleyan Students Association divests its student endowment from Israeli occupation, calls for full university divestment - Middletown, Connecticut
April, 2014 - More than 10,000 Univ. of South Florida students call for divestment -- largest petition in state's history - Tampa, Florida
April, 2014 - University of New Mexico Graduate & Professional Student Association vote for divestment from companies involved in human rights violations in Palestine and on U.S.-Mexico border - Albuquerque, New Mexico
May 5, 2013 - Oberlin College Student Senate passes divestment Resolution - Oberlin, OH
April, 2013 - University of California at Riverside Associated Students Council pass resolution calling for divestment - Riverside, California
April, 2013 - University of California at Berkeley Student Senate passes divestment - Berkeley, California
March, 2013 - University of California at San Diego Associated Students Council pass resolution calling for divestment - San Diego, California
November 14, 2012 - Brown University Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies calls on Brown Corporation to divest from the Israeli occupation - Providence, Rhode Island
November, 2012 - University of California at Irvine Associated Students unanimously pass resolution urging divestment from companies that profit from Israel's occupation of Palestine - Irvine, California
September 5, 2012 - Earlham College Dining Services Stops Selling Sabra in Response to Student and Faculty Concerns - Richmond, Indiana
June 5, 2012 - Arizona State University Student Government Votes to Divest from Israel - Tempe, Arizona
June 4, 2012 - The Evergreen State College Flaming Eggplant Cafe Announces Boycott of Israeli Products - Olympia, Washington
April 18, 2012 - UMass-Boston Student Government passes resolution to divest from Boeing - Boston, Massachusetts
March 30 , 2012 - National Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (MEChA) Endorses Palestinian Boycott of Israel
May/November, 2011 - Majority of DePaul students vote to boycott Sabra Hummus; force ethical alternatives offered - Chicago, Illinois
June 2, 2010 - Evergreen State College student body votes for boycott of Caterpillar equipment, becoming "CAT-free campus"; Student Senate votes unanimously to support BDS
Spring, 2010 - Evergreen State College Student Body votes for divestment from companies involved in Israeli occupation - Olympia, Washington
February 12, 2009 - Hampshire College becomes first campus to divest from the Israeli occupation - Amherst, Massachusetts
2005, 2006, 2010, 2014 - University of Michigan at Dearborn Student Government passes divestment resolution - Dearborn, Michigan
April, 2003 - Wayne State University student council votes for divestiture - Detroit, Michigan
Academic & Cultural Boycott
May 4, 2015 - Lauryn Hill cancels performance in Israel in response to calls for boycott
May, 2015 - Black Lives Matter Co-founder Patrisse Cullors endorses BDS
October, 2014 - Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and MacArthur "genius award" recipient Junot Diaz endorses BDS
May 26, 2014 - American Rapper Talib Kweli cancels Israel gig
Spring, 2014 - Public Enemy's Chuck D endorses BDS
December 15, 2013 - Native American and Indigenous Studies Association endorses boycott of Israeli academic institutions
December, 2013 - American Studies Association endorses academic boycott of Israel by sweeping majority membership vote after national council passes unanimously
August 14, 2013 - Influential jazz drummer Chris Daddy Dave cancels participation in Red Sea Jazz Festival
July 11, 2013 - Rock band The Killers pulls out of of Tel Aviv concert
April, 2013 - General Membership of Association for Asian American Studies votes to support academic boycott of Israel
November 29, 2012 - Stevie Wonder cancels performance for Friends of Israeli Defense Forces in response to calls for boycott
October, 2012 - Hip Hop duo Rebel Diaz cancel performance at Creative Time Summit, 2012, due to sponsorship by Israeli government-funded institution
September, 2012 - Prominent academic Judith Butler reaffirms support for BDS
June 20, 2012 - Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker refuses permission to Israeli publisher, Yedhiot Books, to publish The Color Purple
May 4, 2012 - Columbia University Prof. Franke boycotts conference with "featured nation" Israel & Israeli Ambassador keynote speech
February, 2012 - Singer-songwriter Cat Power cancels Tel Aviv concert
February, 2012 - American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson cancels performance at Holon International Women's Festival
February, 2012 - American Indie Pop Band "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" cancels Tel Aviv show
January, 2012 - Tune-Yards band cancels gig in Israel; Merrill Garbus, lead singer, is a signatory of the Artists Against Israeli Apartheid pledge
Summer, 2011 - 11 Indigenous and Women of Color Feminists, including prominent intellectual & activist Angela Davis, unequivocally endorse BDS
June, 2011 - Basketball legend and actor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cancels visit to Israel in response to "Nakba Day violence"
April, 2011 - Washington University Hip-Hop Program Revokes Invitation to Israeli Cultural Ambassador - St. Louis, Missouri
July 7, 2010 - Dustin Hoffman & Meg Ryan pull out of 2010 Film Festival after Mavi Marmara massacre
June, 2010 - Carlos Santana cancels concert in Tel Aviv following boycott calls
June, 2010 - The Pixies cancel concert in wake of Mavi Marmara massacre
May, 2010 - Renowned American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron cancels concert in Israel
November, 2009 - Prominent intellectual Sarah Schulman boycotts Lesbian & Gay Studies conference at Tel Aviv
August 17, 2009 - Amnesty International Withdraws from Leonard Cohen's Israel Concert Fund
July 23, 2008 - Snoop Dogg cancels performance in Israel
Faith-Based Actions
June 30, 2015 - United Church of Christ General Synod votes overwhelmingly to boycott and divest from Israeli occupation
July 31, 2014 - No Más Muertes endorses Palestinian call for BDS
June 20, 2014 - Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly divests from companies involved in Israeli occupation
June 12, 2014 - United Methodist Church divests from G4S in response to role in Israeli prisons
March 16, 2013 - Mennonite Central Committee unanimously adopts AFSC 29-company no-buy list for divestment
18 Victories spanning 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 - 18 Quaker Meetings Across 15 States Endorse Boycott, Divestment, and, in some cases, Both
September, 2012 - Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation divests from HP, Veolia
July, 2012 - Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly votes to boycott settlement products
May, 2012 - United Methodist Church General Conference votes to boycott settlement products
May, 2012 - Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation divests from Caterpillar
March 8, 2008 - American Friends Service Committee approves Israel-Palestine Investment Screen
October 21, 2007 - National Coalition of American Nuns Publicly Urges Boycott of Caterpillar
Summer, 2005 - United Church of Christ General Synod calls for the use of Economic Leverage -- including ending military aid and divestment -- to promote peace in Middle East
Dozens of Victories spanning 2005 - 2015 - 18 United Methodist Church Annual Conferences -- representing thousands of churches and hundreds of thousands of members -- adopt 30 resolutions and statements calling for divestment; several divest their own conference funds
Pensions & Other Investment Funds(not otherwise listed above)
August 3, 2014 - Soros Fund Management drops SodaStream
June 6, 2014 - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation divests from G4S
Between July and November, 2013 - Pension giant TIAA-CREF divests Social Choice fund from Veolia
Between March and August, 2013 - TIAA-CREF divests from SodaStream
July, 2012 - Abigail Disney renounces shares of Ahava
June, 2012 - Morgan Stanley Capital International removes Caterpillar from socially responsible companies list
May/June, 2012 - Pension giant TIAA-CREF divests Social Choice fund from Caterpillar
September 12, 2009 - TIAA-CREF divests from Africa-Israel company due to violations of "human rights and international law"
Boycotting & De-Shelving Israeli Products(not otherwise listed above)
April 21, 2014 - Earth Day Network cuts ties with Sodastream
January, 2014 - Hollywood Star Scarlett Johansson resigns as Oxfam International Global Ambassador due to deal with Sodastream
2014 - Balady Foods deshelves Sabra hummus - Brooklyn, New York
July, 2014 - Cambridge fixture Pemberton Farms stops selling Sabra following Boston BDS campaign - Cambridge, Massachusetts
December, 2013 - Harvest Coop deshelves Sabra following boycott Boston BDS campaign - Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts
January, 2012 - Lincoln-Way High School deshelves Sabra hummus - Chicago, Illinois
March, 2011 - National Cathedral gift store affiliated with Episcopal Church removes Ahava products after complaints from patrons - Washington, DC
July 15, 2010 - Olympia Food Co-op removes Israeli goods from shelves; first US store to institute boycott - Olympia, Washington
January 18, 2010 - Costco stops selling Ahava
Municipal Victories
December 3, 2014 - Baltimore Rejects Veolia following coalition campaign - Baltimore, Maryland
November, 2014 - Durham severs ties with G4S - Durham, North Carolina
January 8, 2014 - Veolia loses Massachusetts commuter rail contract - Boston, Massachusetts
October 29, 2013 - St. Louis Dumps Veolia - St. Louis, Missouri
January, 2013 - Veolia Withdraws from California Water Contract Bidding -Yolo County (Woodland and Davis), California
Labor, Diplomatic, & Other
March 3, 2015 - 60 U.S. elected officials publicly #SkiptheSpeech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, effectively boycotting him
December 10, 2014 - Members of University of California Graduate Student-Worker's Union UAW 2865 ratify resolution to join BDS movement - State of California
November, 2014 - Dream Defenders endorse BDS at National Conference
July 7, 2010 - California International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 Branch refuses to unload Israeli cargo ship - Oakland, California
October, 2008 - Oxfam International publicly denounces donor Lev Leviev due to support for Israeli settlements
June 21, 2008 - UNICEF severs ties with Israeli mogul Lev Leviev over settlement building
Do you see something missing? Click here to let us know so we can add it!
Logo by Joel Reinstein
Thanks also to the BDS National Committee, Global Exchange Economic Activism for Palestine, American Friends Service Committee, Electronic Intifada, Steering Committee member Rahim Kurwa, and Rob Flahive for their research, reporting, and other contributions making this list possible.
Click here for other new resources released for BDS@10!
The list includes more than 30 "Academic & Cultural Boycott Successes", as well as more than 50 examples of "Faith-Based Successes", more than 40 campus-based actions, as well as successes from the worlds of business and municipal government.
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a coalition of hundreds of U.S. organizations working to end US support for Israel's apartheid policies, says the list will be periodically updated.
According to Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director of the US Campaign, the list "is clear evidence that more and more ordinary Americans are fed up with the status quo of unconditional US support for Israel, its brutal occupation and theft of Palestinian land, and other human rights abuses, and recognize in BDS an effective, nonviolent way to support Palestinians in their struggle for freedom."
BDS@10: Top 100 U.S. Victories!
By popular demand, below is a list of over 100 U.S. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Victories, released to commemorate ten years since Palestinian civil society issued the call for BDS. Click on the social media icons far above to share this important resource with friends and followers.
Do you see something missing, or that needs to be changed? This is a work in progress and we need your help to keep it up to date. Please click here to let us know so we can add it!
Campus Victories (See also Academic Boycott & Campus Labor Victories, listed separately)
June 22, 2015 - Columbia University divests from private prisons including G4S, following coalition-led campaign - Manhattan, New York
April 30, 2015 - Oglethorpe University student goverment passes resolution to divest from Israeli occupation - Atlanta, Georgia
April 29, 2015 - Princeton graduate students pass divestment referendum - Princeton, New Jersey
April 22, 2015 - Earlham Student Senate passes resolution in support of divestment from Israeli occupation - Richmond, Indiana
April 16, 2015 - Wesleyan University president agrees to divest university from prisons as first step when Wesleyan students call for divestment from fossil fuels, prisons, and Israeli occupation - Middletown, Connecticut
March 25, 2015 - Student Government of Loyola Chicago passes resolution to divest - Chicago, Illinois
March 2, 2015 - Toledo student government calls for University divestment by margin of 21:4 - Toledo, Ohio
February 19, 2015 - Northwestern University Student Government calls for university divestment - Evanston, Illinois
February 17, 2015 - Stanford divestment passes in a landslide victory - Stanford, California
February 8, 2015 - University of California Student Association -- representing hundreds of thousands of UC students statewide -- endorses call for UC divestment in support of Palestinian rights - State of California
May 29, 2015 - University of California at Davis Associated Students pass divestment bill - Davis, California
December 5, 2014 - Wesleyan University Dining Facilities Remove Sabra Following Successful Boycott Campaign - Middletown, Connecticut
November, 2014 - University of California at Los Angeles undergraduate student government passes divestment resolution - Los Angeles, California
August 9-10, 2014 - United Students Against Sweatshops Endorses BDS
May 28, 2014 - University of California at Santa Cruz student government passes divestment resolution - Santa Cruz, California
May 23, 2014 - DePaul student body votes for divestment despite Israeli government interference - Chicago, Illinois
May, 2014 - Wesleyan Students Association divests its student endowment from Israeli occupation, calls for full university divestment - Middletown, Connecticut
April, 2014 - More than 10,000 Univ. of South Florida students call for divestment -- largest petition in state's history - Tampa, Florida
April, 2014 - University of New Mexico Graduate & Professional Student Association vote for divestment from companies involved in human rights violations in Palestine and on U.S.-Mexico border - Albuquerque, New Mexico
May 5, 2013 - Oberlin College Student Senate passes divestment Resolution - Oberlin, OH
April, 2013 - University of California at Riverside Associated Students Council pass resolution calling for divestment - Riverside, California
April, 2013 - University of California at Berkeley Student Senate passes divestment - Berkeley, California
March, 2013 - University of California at San Diego Associated Students Council pass resolution calling for divestment - San Diego, California
November 14, 2012 - Brown University Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies calls on Brown Corporation to divest from the Israeli occupation - Providence, Rhode Island
November, 2012 - University of California at Irvine Associated Students unanimously pass resolution urging divestment from companies that profit from Israel's occupation of Palestine - Irvine, California
September 5, 2012 - Earlham College Dining Services Stops Selling Sabra in Response to Student and Faculty Concerns - Richmond, Indiana
June 5, 2012 - Arizona State University Student Government Votes to Divest from Israel - Tempe, Arizona
June 4, 2012 - The Evergreen State College Flaming Eggplant Cafe Announces Boycott of Israeli Products - Olympia, Washington
April 18, 2012 - UMass-Boston Student Government passes resolution to divest from Boeing - Boston, Massachusetts
March 30 , 2012 - National Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (MEChA) Endorses Palestinian Boycott of Israel
May/November, 2011 - Majority of DePaul students vote to boycott Sabra Hummus; force ethical alternatives offered - Chicago, Illinois
June 2, 2010 - Evergreen State College student body votes for boycott of Caterpillar equipment, becoming "CAT-free campus"; Student Senate votes unanimously to support BDS
Spring, 2010 - Evergreen State College Student Body votes for divestment from companies involved in Israeli occupation - Olympia, Washington
February 12, 2009 - Hampshire College becomes first campus to divest from the Israeli occupation - Amherst, Massachusetts
2005, 2006, 2010, 2014 - University of Michigan at Dearborn Student Government passes divestment resolution - Dearborn, Michigan
April, 2003 - Wayne State University student council votes for divestiture - Detroit, Michigan
Academic & Cultural Boycott
May 4, 2015 - Lauryn Hill cancels performance in Israel in response to calls for boycott
May, 2015 - Black Lives Matter Co-founder Patrisse Cullors endorses BDS
October, 2014 - Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and MacArthur "genius award" recipient Junot Diaz endorses BDS
May 26, 2014 - American Rapper Talib Kweli cancels Israel gig
Spring, 2014 - Public Enemy's Chuck D endorses BDS
December 15, 2013 - Native American and Indigenous Studies Association endorses boycott of Israeli academic institutions
December, 2013 - American Studies Association endorses academic boycott of Israel by sweeping majority membership vote after national council passes unanimously
August 14, 2013 - Influential jazz drummer Chris Daddy Dave cancels participation in Red Sea Jazz Festival
July 11, 2013 - Rock band The Killers pulls out of of Tel Aviv concert
April, 2013 - General Membership of Association for Asian American Studies votes to support academic boycott of Israel
November 29, 2012 - Stevie Wonder cancels performance for Friends of Israeli Defense Forces in response to calls for boycott
October, 2012 - Hip Hop duo Rebel Diaz cancel performance at Creative Time Summit, 2012, due to sponsorship by Israeli government-funded institution
September, 2012 - Prominent academic Judith Butler reaffirms support for BDS
June 20, 2012 - Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker refuses permission to Israeli publisher, Yedhiot Books, to publish The Color Purple
May 4, 2012 - Columbia University Prof. Franke boycotts conference with "featured nation" Israel & Israeli Ambassador keynote speech
February, 2012 - Singer-songwriter Cat Power cancels Tel Aviv concert
February, 2012 - American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson cancels performance at Holon International Women's Festival
February, 2012 - American Indie Pop Band "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" cancels Tel Aviv show
January, 2012 - Tune-Yards band cancels gig in Israel; Merrill Garbus, lead singer, is a signatory of the Artists Against Israeli Apartheid pledge
Summer, 2011 - 11 Indigenous and Women of Color Feminists, including prominent intellectual & activist Angela Davis, unequivocally endorse BDS
June, 2011 - Basketball legend and actor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cancels visit to Israel in response to "Nakba Day violence"
April, 2011 - Washington University Hip-Hop Program Revokes Invitation to Israeli Cultural Ambassador - St. Louis, Missouri
July 7, 2010 - Dustin Hoffman & Meg Ryan pull out of 2010 Film Festival after Mavi Marmara massacre
June, 2010 - Carlos Santana cancels concert in Tel Aviv following boycott calls
June, 2010 - The Pixies cancel concert in wake of Mavi Marmara massacre
May, 2010 - Renowned American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron cancels concert in Israel
November, 2009 - Prominent intellectual Sarah Schulman boycotts Lesbian & Gay Studies conference at Tel Aviv
August 17, 2009 - Amnesty International Withdraws from Leonard Cohen's Israel Concert Fund
July 23, 2008 - Snoop Dogg cancels performance in Israel
Faith-Based Actions
June 30, 2015 - United Church of Christ General Synod votes overwhelmingly to boycott and divest from Israeli occupation
July 31, 2014 - No Más Muertes endorses Palestinian call for BDS
June 20, 2014 - Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly divests from companies involved in Israeli occupation
June 12, 2014 - United Methodist Church divests from G4S in response to role in Israeli prisons
March 16, 2013 - Mennonite Central Committee unanimously adopts AFSC 29-company no-buy list for divestment
18 Victories spanning 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 - 18 Quaker Meetings Across 15 States Endorse Boycott, Divestment, and, in some cases, Both
September, 2012 - Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation divests from HP, Veolia
July, 2012 - Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly votes to boycott settlement products
May, 2012 - United Methodist Church General Conference votes to boycott settlement products
May, 2012 - Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation divests from Caterpillar
March 8, 2008 - American Friends Service Committee approves Israel-Palestine Investment Screen
October 21, 2007 - National Coalition of American Nuns Publicly Urges Boycott of Caterpillar
Summer, 2005 - United Church of Christ General Synod calls for the use of Economic Leverage -- including ending military aid and divestment -- to promote peace in Middle East
Dozens of Victories spanning 2005 - 2015 - 18 United Methodist Church Annual Conferences -- representing thousands of churches and hundreds of thousands of members -- adopt 30 resolutions and statements calling for divestment; several divest their own conference funds
Pensions & Other Investment Funds(not otherwise listed above)
August 3, 2014 - Soros Fund Management drops SodaStream
June 6, 2014 - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation divests from G4S
Between July and November, 2013 - Pension giant TIAA-CREF divests Social Choice fund from Veolia
Between March and August, 2013 - TIAA-CREF divests from SodaStream
July, 2012 - Abigail Disney renounces shares of Ahava
June, 2012 - Morgan Stanley Capital International removes Caterpillar from socially responsible companies list
May/June, 2012 - Pension giant TIAA-CREF divests Social Choice fund from Caterpillar
September 12, 2009 - TIAA-CREF divests from Africa-Israel company due to violations of "human rights and international law"
Boycotting & De-Shelving Israeli Products(not otherwise listed above)
April 21, 2014 - Earth Day Network cuts ties with Sodastream
January, 2014 - Hollywood Star Scarlett Johansson resigns as Oxfam International Global Ambassador due to deal with Sodastream
2014 - Balady Foods deshelves Sabra hummus - Brooklyn, New York
July, 2014 - Cambridge fixture Pemberton Farms stops selling Sabra following Boston BDS campaign - Cambridge, Massachusetts
December, 2013 - Harvest Coop deshelves Sabra following boycott Boston BDS campaign - Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts
January, 2012 - Lincoln-Way High School deshelves Sabra hummus - Chicago, Illinois
March, 2011 - National Cathedral gift store affiliated with Episcopal Church removes Ahava products after complaints from patrons - Washington, DC
July 15, 2010 - Olympia Food Co-op removes Israeli goods from shelves; first US store to institute boycott - Olympia, Washington
January 18, 2010 - Costco stops selling Ahava
Municipal Victories
December 3, 2014 - Baltimore Rejects Veolia following coalition campaign - Baltimore, Maryland
November, 2014 - Durham severs ties with G4S - Durham, North Carolina
January 8, 2014 - Veolia loses Massachusetts commuter rail contract - Boston, Massachusetts
October 29, 2013 - St. Louis Dumps Veolia - St. Louis, Missouri
January, 2013 - Veolia Withdraws from California Water Contract Bidding -Yolo County (Woodland and Davis), California
Labor, Diplomatic, & Other
March 3, 2015 - 60 U.S. elected officials publicly #SkiptheSpeech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, effectively boycotting him
December 10, 2014 - Members of University of California Graduate Student-Worker's Union UAW 2865 ratify resolution to join BDS movement - State of California
November, 2014 - Dream Defenders endorse BDS at National Conference
July 7, 2010 - California International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 Branch refuses to unload Israeli cargo ship - Oakland, California
October, 2008 - Oxfam International publicly denounces donor Lev Leviev due to support for Israeli settlements
June 21, 2008 - UNICEF severs ties with Israeli mogul Lev Leviev over settlement building
Do you see something missing? Click here to let us know so we can add it!
Logo by Joel Reinstein
Thanks also to the BDS National Committee, Global Exchange Economic Activism for Palestine, American Friends Service Committee, Electronic Intifada, Steering Committee member Rahim Kurwa, and Rob Flahive for their research, reporting, and other contributions making this list possible.
Click here for other new resources released for BDS@10!
