Since its inception 20 years ago, I have been following the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which started as a loose affiliation of individuals and groups who invoked the South African anti-apartheid movement believing that such pressure would force Israel “to comply with international law.”
Although their calls to boycott Israel over its treatment of Palestinians are nothing new, since Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war, the campaign to isolate Israel and weaken it economically as a way to pressure it to change its actions has spiked.
BDS voices have moved from the fringe into the mainstream – and support for it is growing.
Its supporters believe that in the same way boycott pressure on South Africa helped end its segregationist policies, making Israel a pariah state will somehow offer a resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians.
While in the past it was easy to dismiss BDS calls as ignorance or antisemitism, today it permeates nearly every aspect of life.
For this edition of The Jerusalem Report, we look at how different sectors are experiencing BDS – from calls to ban Israeli athletes from international sporting events or to oust Israeli filmmakers from international film festivals, to more surreptitious moves to shun Israeli professionals and academics.
We also ask what impact these efforts are having on Israeli citizens inside the country and abroad.
The boycott calls are clearly hurtful and frustrating but are they having any impact on Israel’s decision-makers, policy, or the economy?
The cover story features the fearless Peter Paltchik, a judo medalist who proudly led Israel’s Olympic team last year in Paris. He recounts feeling the brunt of efforts to ban Israeli athletes and online hate.
Long-time Jerusalem Post film critic Hannah Brown explores the situation in Israel’s film industry, where high-profile Hollywood celebrities have been among the fiercest voices calling to freeze out their Israeli counterparts.
Feature writer Rachel Fink talks to ordinary Israelis about their experiences traveling this past summer. Where were they compelled to hide their identities? Where did they face abuse? Which countries made them feel most welcome?
Dana Ben-Simon explores the dilemma faced by Palestinians over whether to boycott Israel, especially when it affects their own pockets.
Other contributors look at the economic fallout for Israel, including Joanie Marguiles and Matthew Kalman, and economics analysts Daphna Aviram-Nitzan from the Israel Democracy Institute, and Gali Ingber from Israel’s College of Management Academic Studies.
Stephanie L. Freid reports on the phenomenon of Israelis opting to leave the country, while Shifra Jacobs looks at famous faces who are coming to visit and speaking out for Israel.
What has always fascinated me about boycotts is whether they can really succeed, especially when there will always be people who oppose them.
We know that South Africa ultimately ended its apartheid system; but in Israel, where there is clearly a polarizing conflict between two groups of people and where this tiny country has a mighty economy, is it the same story?
Read on and see what you think.