An article in the Independent by Rachel Revesz (New York governor Andrew Cuomo orders a boycott of anti-Israel movement, June 7th) included the following characterization of the BDS movement.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) was launched in 2005 and aims to put economic and political pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestine
However, it is simply not true – as the Indy and other British media outlets continually maintain – that BDS’s aim is merely to “put pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestine [sic]”.
First, leaders of the BDS Movement support violence.
Here are two quotes Omar Barghouti, one of the founding leaders of the movement:
“[Palestinians have a right to] resistance by any means, including armed resistance. [Jews] aren’t indigenous just because you say you are….[Jews] are not a people…the UN’s principle of the right to self-determination applies only to colonized people who want to acquire their rights. ”
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“International law does give people under occupation the right to resist in any way, including armed resistance.” – Omar Barghouti (4:08)
Additionally, BDS leaders oppose a peaceful two-state solution, and in fact oppose the continued existence of a Jewish state within any borders.
Again, here’s Barghouti:
Going back to the two-state solution, besides having passed its expiry date, it was never a moral solution to start with.We are witnessing the rapid demise of Zionism, and nothing can be done to save it, for Zionism is intent on killing itself. I, for one, support euthanasia.“ -Omar Bargouti
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“Good riddance! The two-state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is finally dead. But someone has to issue an official death certificate before the rotting corpse is given a proper burial and we can all move on and explore the more just, moral and therefore enduring alternative for peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Mandate Palestine: the one-state solution.” –Omar Bargouti
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“(The one state solution means) a unitary state, where, by definition, Jews will be a minority.” -Omar Bargouti
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“A Jewish state in Palestine in any shape or form cannot but contravene the basic rights of the indigenous Palestinian population and perpetuate a system of racial discrimination that ought to be opposed categorically….Definitely, most definitely we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian, rational Palestinian, not a sell-out Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.” –Omar Barghouti [5:50]
A movement whose leaders support terror attacks and seek the complete dismantling of the world’s only Jewish state can only be described as regressive and extremist. The Indy’s claim that BDS merely “aims to put economic and political pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestine” is not accurate.
Related articles
- NYT again downplays BDS (CAMERA – Gilead Ini)
- 23 reasons why BDS is antisemitic (UK Media Watch – David Hirsh)
- The British government is banning discriminatory boycotts because it’s on the side of the victims (Independent – Adam Levick)
- BBC coverage of UK government’s action against BDS fails to fully inform (BBC Watch – Hadar Sela)
