The BDS campaign (boycotts, sanctions and divestment) against Israel represents a malevolent, reactionary political force which is antisemitic in effect if not intent, in that it singles out Israel (and only Israel), the world’s only Jewish state and the state in the region with the best human rights record. Additionally, despite claims in the media to the contrary, prominent BDS leaders support violence and openly oppose the continued existence of the Jewish state within any boundaries.
Fortunately, however, the campaign is by and large failing miserably, despite the oxygen campaigners are given by pro-Palestinian media outlets. This blog’s new periodic review of BDS failures should provide the reader with rebuttals to routine claims by anti-Israel activists that the movement is gaining traction and achieving its desired result of isolating and economically crippling the state of Israel.
Political BDS failures
- The Tennessee General Assembly became the first state legislature in the U.S. to formally condemn the BDS movement.
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South Carolina became first US state to take action against anti-Israel boycotts.
- The Illinois State House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that prohibits state pension funds from including in their portfolios companies that participate in BDS.
- US Congress is considering legislation that “would require U.S. negotiators to discourage trading partners from boycotting Israel or Jewish settlements in the West Bank”.
- The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) dropped their bid to suspend Israel from Fifa in a dramatic u-turn.
- French President Francois Hollande made it clear that France opposes the BDS movement.
- Universities U.K. opposes the Academic Boycott of Israel.
- New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind is drafting a bill to combat BDS in New York. The bill would ban the state’s pension fund from doing business with companies that boycott Israel.
- 100 German business leaders are “preparing for a trip to Israel to meet with top businesspeople in an extraordinary show of support for the Jewish state”.
Economic BDS failures
- The Israeli economy “saw a huge growth” of 7% in the fourth quarter of 2014.
- Cathay Pacific Airways, which won the World’s Best Airline Award for the fourth time in 2014, is looking into launching a new route from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv.
- Swedish supermarkets back out of Israel boycott after media campaign.
- After BDS activists trumpeted an alleged boycott victory, Orange telecom’s CEO told Binyamin Netanyahu that the firm will deepen ties to Israel.
- Jimmy Wales, Wiki co-founder: “I am a strong supporter of Israel”
- Washington State justices reverse a 2012 decision protecting a food co-op from being sued over its boycott of Israeli products.
- A prominent Israeli activist group threatened the Park Slope Food Co-op with a lawsuit if the supermarket adopts a boycott of Israeli products.
- The British business and innovation secretary declared that the U.K. and Israel had entered a “golden era” for trade. British Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Sajid Javid said that he expected bilateral trade and services– currently valued at about $6.9 billion, according to Javid — to continue to grow.
Cultural BDS failures
- A neo-realist allegorical painting inspired by the biblical tragedy of Jephthah and his daughter by the Israeli artist Matan Ben-Cnaan has won the top prize in one of the world’s most prestigious portrait awards. Ben-Cnaan was named the first Israeli winner of the £30,000 BP portrait award at a ceremony at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- Michael Douglas visited Israel to receive the $1 million Genesis Prize award, popularly dubbed the ‘Jewish Nobel Prize,’ for his efforts to promote Jewish culture.
- The band One Republic came to Israel not only to rock Tel Aviv, but also to show support for the Jewish State by visiting IDF soldiers in the field.
- Backstreet Boys return to Israel.
- Iconic Britpop band Suede are returning to Israel. Four years after its last visit, English alternative rock group will perform at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on July 30.
- Art Garfunkel, one half of the legendary duo Simon and Garfunkel, returned to Israel on June 10th for a solo show at Bloomfield Stadium.
- American diva Dionne Warwick said that she has no plans to cancel her upcoming Tel Aviv performance, saying that “art has no boundaries.”
- Wildly popular American rock band Bon Jovi will perform in Israel in early Oct.
Just for fun
- Jenna Jameson is converting to Judaism. Former adult film star has begun tweeting in Hebrew, buying Israeli products, and even cooking kosher for her Israeli fiancé.
