Organizations and private entities supporting a two-state solution must reconsider their endorsement of boycotts, divestments and sanctions of Israel. The BDS movement discourages a true and lasting resolution by prompting pessimism among the hopeful and punishing, rather than praising, attempts at peace. Can we get back to the optimism felt in 1993 with the Oslo Accords? The Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel’s activities are highly counter-productive, favoring bullying over cooperative activities promoting dialogue and the humanization of the "other." BDS activities do not address the cognitive shift from pessimism to optimism necessary to break the impasse.
In spite of this fatal flaw, the BDS Movement has attracted media and political attention by exploiting the concerned public’s frustration at the protracted conflict, applying the language of human rights out of context. The BDS Movement also simplifies a highly complex reality by presenting a one-sided and selective narrative, trusting that, through repetition of a consistent message, the public will merely accept what they are told. This strategy has been somewhat successful – depicting the real power of a well-planned and consistently-executed advertising campaign.
According to the Global BDS Movement website for “freedom, justice, and equality,” Palestinian Civil Society calls for boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel until it “complies with international law and Palestinian rights.” The group theorizes that continuous, punitive measures will force Israel to comply with the demands of the Palestinians and, ultimately, the Arab world. The overarching issue of how Israel would realistically comply with BDS demands is, at best, ambiguous and, at worst, posits that Israel should forfeit its right to exist. This runs counter to the wisdom that resolution will be best sustained through a collaborative problem-solving approach, where the issues of permanent borders, Jerusalem, economy, freedom of movement and refugees are discussed in a genuine manner.
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