Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing series of posts documenting BDS fails.
Political BDS fails
BDS has nothing useful to contribute to the Middle East peace process
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement does not have anything useful to contribute to the peace process, and will never bring reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians closer. Then again, that has never been its aim.
– Michael Freeman (Counsellor for civil society affairs, embassy of Israel, London)
Top 70 Moments of BDS FAILS in 2018
On August 8, 2018 the BDS movement published a list of what is claimed were the “Top 70 Moments of Solidarity & BDS for Palestine in 2018” and stated that “together, we grow it stronger every day”. The list can be found here.
North West Friends of Israel has put together a list of 70 BDS failures. Here are their Top 10:
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On May 14, 2018, the US Embassy in Israel officially moved to, and opened, its new embassy in Jerusalem, declaring that Jerusalem IS the capital of Israel.
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On May 17, 2018 the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign LOST its case against the UK government. The Court of Appeal ruled that it was indeed illegal for local councils & their pension funds to pursue boycott, divestment and sanctions against foreign nations. The PSC was left with £100,000 of costs to pay.
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On May 21, 2018, Paraguay opened its new embassy in Jerusalem. The Paraguayan leader Horacio Cartes called it a “historic event,” adding, that this occasion “is of special significance because it expresses the sincere friendship and brave solidarity between Paraguay and Israel.” He continued “From the depth of my heart, I appreciate this country that courageously defends its right to live in peace and it is building a praiseworthy, economically prosperous state that ensures its future and that of its children.”
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On May 16, 2018 Guatemala opened its new embassy in Jerusalem. President Morales said his country, Israel and the United States “share friendship, courage and loyalty”.
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On May 23, 2018 the State of Louisiana issued an executive order preventing the state to do business with entities boycotting Israel. They became the 25th state — 50% of the U.S. – who have now said NO to the antisemitic BDS campaign.
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In June 2018 HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cornwall and 2nd in line to the British throne visited Israel for 3 days. This was the first ever official visit by a member of the Royal Family to Israel and a HUGE BDS fail.
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In 2018, Israel has been ranked 8th most powerful country in the world. US magazine poll by US News & World Report of 21,000 people lists Jewish state above Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
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On May 30, 2018 UK Science Minister Sam Gyimah announced that the UK has signed two landmark agreements that would take the UK’s partnership with Israel on science and innovation “to the next level”.
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June 30, 2018: A federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU in Kansas City arguing that Kansas’ anti-BDS law violates the First Amendment was DISMISSED with prejudice. Now that the anti-Israel lawsuit is gone, Kansas anti-BDS legislation is back in full force and effect.
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Aug 13, 2018: In a sign of Buenos Aires’ changing attitude toward Israel, the Argentine Foreign Ministry has issued a statement that seems to put the blame for recent clashes between the Israeli military and Hamas squarely on the Palestinians. Referring to the recent escalation in tensions that has seen Hamas fire hundreds of rockets into Israeli territory and the Israelis carry out numerous retaliatory strikes against Hamas outposts and fighters, The statement expressed its “deep concern” over the violence, which it said was “caused by the launch of rockets towards Israel.”
The fact that boycotts targeting Israeli settlements are rejected by most Palestinians certainly contradicts the dominant media narrative on the #BDS movement https://t.co/AoLPoLX4gz
— CAMERA UK (formerly UK Media Watch and BBC Watch) (@CAMERAorgUK) August 8, 2018
Economic BDS fails
PepsiCo acquires SodaStream for $3.2 billion!
WOW: @PepsiCo to acquire Israel’s SodaStream for a whopping $3.2 billion. Another massive win for the Start-Up Nation! 🇮🇱💦 pic.twitter.com/IrVADweOmo
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) August 20, 2018
Aeronautics wins $27m Thailand UAV deal
Yavne-based Aeronautics Ltd. (TASE:ARCS) will supply Dominator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Thai Ministry of Defense, the company today reported to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). The volume of the deal, which includes UAVs, land equipment, and accompanying services, is $27 million over three years. Payment will be according to the milestones set in the agreement.
S&P raises Israel’s credit rating to record -AA
The Standard and Poor’s (S&P) credit rating agency announced Saturday that it has upgraded Israel’s credit rating from A+ to -AA, the highest rating Israel has ever had.
The raised rating is a very significant achievement for the Israeli economy and indicates confidence in the ability of the economy to grow and the government’s ability to maintain a responsible fiscal policy. On the practical level, it will allow the government to raise funds under better terms.
Raising the rating to AA-minus puts Israel among a relatively small list of countries in the AA-rated family, and places it above countries such as China, Japan and Chile.
Centrica and Ombu invest in Israeli EV charging software provider, Driivz
Centrica plc has today (Monday) announced a multi-million-pound investment in Driivz, an Israeli start-up that offers end-to-end software solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging. Ombu Group, a leading investor in advanced industrial technology companies, has co-led the investment, which forms part of a £9m ($12m) funding round.
Established in 2012, Driivz has developed a cloud-based EV charging operating system that is already used by over 200,000 drivers across the globe. The Driivz platform offers charging network operators, car manufacturers and utilities an end-to-end solution to manage all aspects of EV deployment from charging, account management and driver billing, through to onsite power management that allows businesses to optimise output to chargers in line with site energy demand and costs.
FDA Approves Teva’s Generic Version of Mylan’s EpiPen
Teva Pharmaceutical’s version of Mylan NV’s EpiPen to provide ‘lower-cost option’ for patients ‘living with severe allergies,’ FDA commissioner says
Warren Buffett buys $60 million worth of Teva in the dip
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett increased his stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries to 4.3% during the second quarter of 2018, according to the quarterly financial statement from his investments firm Berkshire Hathaway.
Cultural and technological BDS fails
Lana Del Ray to perform in Israel, defies campaign by BDS activists
Lana Del Ray: "performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there just as singing here in California doesn't mean my views are in alignment w/my current governments’ opinions or sometimes inhuman actions" #BDSfail! https://t.co/UPzLyMcoXT
— William Daroff (@Daroff) August 19, 2018
Israelis Among Researchers Behind Cracking of Wheat Genome Sequencing
A group of researchers — including several from Israeli institutions — have succeeded in sequencing the wheat genome, the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon reported on Friday, citing Science Magazine.
Professor Tzion Fahima — head of the Institute of Evolution at the University of Haifa — was quoted by Makor Rishon as saying, “With global population growth, it is expected that by 2050 the world’s population will reach 10 billion people. In order to feed all of humanity, we must double the wheat crop.”
Fahima added that the mapping of the genome would make it possible for that target to be attained, and that the wheat produced would be “healthier, stronger and more resilient.”
In addition to the University of Haifa, the other two Israeli bodies involved in the project were Tel Aviv University and NRGene.
Facebook acquires Israeli co Redkix for $100m
Redkix, Facebook’s fifth Israeli acquisition, has developed an email platform that serves as an enterprise application streamlining an organization’s email chat.
Organizers of a major music and arts festival in Berlin continued to defy anti-Israel activists protesting its sponsorship by the Israeli Embassy in Germany as the three-day event opened on Wednesday.
In a statement, the organizers of the Pop-Kultur Festival affirmed that they would not be “intimidated” by boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) activists who object to the embassy’s presence among its dozens of corporate, government and private foundation sponsors.
“This type of cooperation is common practice at festivals, exhibitions and events of all genres in international cultural exchange,” the festival said.
It stressed the “festival’s role in overcoming boundaries and creating room for dialogue.”
Recent outstanding sports achievement by Israeli athletes despite efforts to prevent Israelis from competing in international events:
Israeli swimmers bag 2 gold medals in European para championship
Veteran Inbal Pezaro, 31, and newcomer Ami Dadaon, 17, win in Dublin; sports minister tweets the two ‘bring honor to the State of Israel’
Israeli runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter wins gold at European Championships
Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter won the women’s 10,000-meter run at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin Wednesday, completing the race in 31 minutes, 43.29 seconds.
Israeli-Kenyan Salpeter came 9 full seconds ahead of Susan Krumins of the Netherlands, winning the gold medal. Sweden’s Meraf Bahta came third.
Israeli gymnast Linoy Ashram sets world record at World Cup, wins gold
Israeli gymnast Linoy Ashram on Saturday broke the world record in the clubs-handling round at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Minsk, and went on to win the gold medal in the all-round phase of the competition.
The 19-year-old Ashram received a score of 20.65 for her clubs demonstration, surpassing the 20.05 record set at the 2018 European Championships by Russian Dina Averina.
7-Year-Old Israeli Wins European Chess Championship
Liel Levitan is 7. She lives in Haifa with her parents and her three siblings. She recently graduated from the first grade. In her spare time, she likes to play chess. And this week, she won the European championship for schoolchildren her age, defeating 12 other girls in a grueling competition that lasted eight days.
And, in another fail:
Tunisia, under pressure, lets 7-year-old Israeli girl in for chess tourney
Tunisian authorities backtracked on their refusal to grant a visa to Liel Levitan from Haifa for the World School Individual Championships next year in Sousse, France’s National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, or BNVCA, said Friday in a statement. The FIDE World Chess Federation pressured its Tunisian affiliate and the country’s authorities to allow her to compete, according to the report.