[rad-green] How did the Israel boycott campaign grow in 2019?

*https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/how-did-israel-boycott-campaign-grow-2019
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/how-did-israel-boycott-campaign-grow-2019>Electronic
Intifada 30 December 2019*



*How did the Israel boycott campaign grow in 2019?By Nora Barrows-Friedman *
[image: A woman holds a sign at a protest]

*Boycott campaigns grew despite accelerated attacks and smears. (Joe Catron
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/joegaza/42217206401/>)*

The outgoing year saw steadfast growth of the nonviolent boycott,
divestment and sanctions <https://electronicintifada.net/tags/bds> (BDS)
campaign aiming to pressure Israel to respect Palestinian rights.

There were significant BDS victories in 2019 despite accelerated smears
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/josh-ruebner/republican-lawmaker-seeks-muzzle-students-critical-israel>
, targeted attacks
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/uk-blocks-visit-bds-co-founder-omar-barghouti>
and
outright attempts
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/tories-pledge-ban-boycotts>
 to criminalize
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/panic-over-bds-reaches-fever-pitch/28786>
the
movement.

From the US
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/trump-appeases-israel-lobby-executive-order>
 to Canada
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/canada-adopts-israel-lobbys-contested-definition-anti-semitism>
 to Europe
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/german-parliament-smears-quest-palestinian-rights-anti-semitic>,
governments acquiesced to Israel’s years-long drive to conflate Palestinian
rights activism with anti-Semitism in order to shut BDS campaigning down.

Investigative reporting in 2019 unmasked Israel’s anti-BDS efforts,
exposing the networks
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/inside-israels-million-dollar-troll-army/27566>
of
Israeli spies and high-tech surveillance funded and orchestrated
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/how-israeli-spies-are-flooding-facebook-and-twitter/27596>
by
the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

That government department is dedicated to a global “war” against BDS
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/meet-spies-injecting-israeli-propaganda-your-news-feed>
and
attempts to conceal its involvement using front groups that “do not want to
expose their connection with the state.”

In February, exposés in *The New Yorker* revealed that Psy-Group, a
now-defunct Israeli private intelligence firm, was paid to spy on US
students and activists
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/ex-mossad-agents-harass-us-students-bds-activists/26846>
engaged
in BDS.

Confirming what The Electronic Intifada has been reporting for years,
Israeli media reported in June
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/mossad-role-israels-war-against-bds-confirmed>
that
the Mossad – Israel’s violent spy agency – is also involved in the war
against BDS.

But the pushback by Palestinian
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-protest-german-attack-right-boycott-israeli-apartheid>
 and international
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/protesters-disrupt-vienna-city-council-over-bds-censorship>
 human rights defenders
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/french-resist-effort-censor-criticism-zionism>
has
been unwavering.

The year began with relentless attacks
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/ilhan-omar-under-attack-telling-truth-about-israel-lobby>
against
Ilhan Omar, a US congresswoman who told the truth about the Israel lobby’s
influence on US policy.

Omar was not only attacked by right-wing Republicans but by members of her
own Democratic Party
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/trump-and-democrats-unite-smear-ilhan-omar>
who
continued to falsely accuse her of anti-Semitism for criticizing the
US-Israel relationship.

Despite the smears, Omar introduced a resolution in July upholding the
right to boycott
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/ilhan-omar-introduces-resolution-upholding-right-boycott>
and
explicitly offered her support for BDS.

Omar’s refusal to remain silent about Israel and the right of civil society
to engage with the growing boycott movement mirrored the resolve of
activists around the world to amplify their campaigns.

Here are some of the top victories for Palestinian rights as covered by The
Electronic Intifada in 2019:
Settlements faced legal, financial defeats

EU legal experts
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/eu-legal-opinion-likens-israeli-wine-apartheid-south-africa-goods>
and
the European Court of Justice
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/eus-top-court-upholds-right-boycott-israeli-settlement-goods>
ruled
this year that goods from Israeli colonies on occupied Palestinian land
must be labeled as originating from settlements.

This is a boost to efforts in Europe to restrict or ban trade in settlement
goods.

In January, a bill to outlaw trade in goods from Israeli settlements was
passed
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/irish-parliament-passes-bill-ban-israeli-settlement-goods>
by
the lower house of Ireland’s parliament, a major step on its journey into
law.

By the summer, despite pressure to thwart the bill
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/battle-underway-ireland-over-ban-settlement-goods/27841>
from
Israel and its lobbyists – including some members of the US Congress –
support for the bill has remained solid among elected representatives in
Dublin.

In October, Norway’s capital Oslo banned goods and services
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/norways-capital-says-it-wont-buy-israeli-settlement-goods>
from
Israeli settlements from public contracts.

The left-wing political parties running the city committed to ensuring that
public procurement does not include “goods and services produced on
territory occupied in violation of international law.”

Similar to the landmark European Court of Justice ruling, the Federal Court
of Canada decided in July
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/settlement-wines-not-made-israel-canadian-court-rules>
that
wines produced in settlements on occupied Palestinian land cannot be
labeled “Made in Israel.”

In an affirmation of the right of citizens to engage in boycotts, the court
found that people who wish to express their political views through their
purchasing decisions “have to be provided with accurate information as to
the source of the products in question.”

Immediately after the ruling, Israel lobby groups and the Israeli
government began pressuring
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/justin-trudeau-backs-israeli-settlement-wines>
Justin Trudeau’s government to appeal, which it did in September. Activists
and legal experts  continue to fight
<https://www.ijvcanada.org/jewish-group-disappointed-by-federal-govts-decision-to-appeal-settlement-wine-ruling/>
the
appeal process.

Major international corporations pulled out of lucrative bids
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israels-settler-railway-could-be-going-nowhere-fast>
to
expand Israeli settler railways in May.

Israel is building the Jerusalem light rail to link settlements in the
occupied West Bank to each other and to occupied East Jerusalem.

French train maker Alstom pulled out of a bidding consortium
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/frances-alstom-quits-settler-railway-israeli-partners-say>
to
expand the settler tramway, citing human rights concerns.

With the collapse of the bid involving Alstom, another European firm –
Barcelona transit operator Moventia – was also forced out, because it was part
of the same consortium
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/australian-canadian-firms-pull-out-israeli-settler-railway>
.

Canadian engineering giant Bombardier
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/bombardier> had also pulled out of a
bid to expand and operate the tramway – as did Australia’s Macquarie and
Germany’s Siemens.

A Greek-led consortium also failed
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israels-settler-railway-could-be-going-nowhere-fast>
to
put in a bid to expand the tramway, despite strong support from the Greek
government. It had faced stiff opposition from Greek workers.

The winning consortium does however include Spain-based train maker CAF,
but mayors, workers and activists in the Basque Country are still fighting
to put a stop
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/basque-firm-must-quit-israels-apartheid-railway/29126>
to
any involvement in Israel’s apartheid railway.
Dumping Israel products

Corporations that do business with the Israeli army were dumped by a major
trade union and a professional US basketball team, while UK activists shut
down Israeli weapons factories.

Over the summer, Unite the Union – the second-largest British and Irish
trade union, boasting more than one million members – resolved to end
purchases
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/major-uk-trade-union-dumps-hp>
of
Hewlett-Packard products.

Commemorating five years since Israel’s 2014 attacks on Gaza – which killed
more than 2,200 Palestinians including 550 children – activists in the UK
held a three-day protest in early July.

They occupied the roof of the Israeli-owned Elbit-Ferranti arms factory in
Oldham, near Manchester.

They demanded that the UK government impose an arms embargo against the
company as well as close Israel’s UK-based Elbit
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/elbit> factories.

Elbit is Israel’s largest arms producer
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/protesters-against-drone-giant-facing-trial>.
The company describes its drones as “the backbone” of Israel’s fleet.

The protest effectively shut down the factory’s operations for two days,
activists say.

A month later, activists in Sandwich shut down an Elbit-owned factory for
another two days.

And in Portland, Oregon, the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team ended
its partnership
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/nba-team-ends-partnership-rifle-optics-supplier-israeli-army>
with
Leupold & Stevens, a gunsight manufacturer that supplies the US and Israeli
armies.

The Blazers had come under pressure to cut ties with the Oregon-based
company over Israel’s use of its equipment
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/portland-trail-blazers-team-firm-supplying-israels-snipers/26236>
while
killing and maiming unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza.

Over the summer, Palestinians organized international boycott campaigns
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/palestinians-call-puma-boycott>
calling
on sportswear brand Puma to end its support
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/puma-celebrates-black-power-while-supporting-israels-war-crimes>
for
football teams based in Israeli settlements.
Anti-BDS laws challenged

In the US, while state and federal lawmakers pushed for draconian measures
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/anti-bds-laws> to shield Israel
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/florida-passes-law-protecting-israel-criticism>
against
boycott campaigns, civil rights defenders pushed back and won significant
legal victories.

A federal court in Texas issued a temporary injunction
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/federal-judge-blocks-anti-bds-law-texas>
in
April against the state’s 2017 law that requires public employees and state
contractors to certify that they will not boycott Israel.

The Texas law is part of nationwide attempts to stigmatize and outlaw BDS
campaigns.

With the encouragement of Israel and its lobby, 27 US states
<https://palestinelegal.org/righttoboycott> have adopted anti-BDS measures.

The Texas ruling follows similar decisions by federal judges against
anti-BDS laws in Arizona
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/federal-court-blocks-anti-bds-law-arizona>
 and Kansas
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/federal-judge-blocks-kansas-anti-bds-law>,
citing First Amendment violations.

Lawsuits are also pending against anti-BDS laws in Maryland
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/florida-governor-punishes-airbnb-discrimination-against-israeli-settlers>
 and Arkansas
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/florida-advances-bill-shield-israel-criticism>
.

A poll found that Americans overwhelmingly reject laws
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/americans-overwhelmingly-reject-anti-bds-laws-poll-finds>
designed
to punish BDS supporters. More than 70 percent opposed laws that target
boycott activism as an infringement on the right to free speech.

Similar measures still pending in Congress face strong opposition
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/josh-ruebner/us-house-representatives-condemns-boycotts-palestinian-rights>
from
civil liberties groups.

In Canada, the Calgary city council rejected an attempt by Israel lobby
groups to brand criticism of Israel, including boycott activism, as
anti-Semitism.

The city leaders voted in November
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/calgary-rejects-israel-lobbys-biased-anti-semitism-definition>
to
amend a motion on fighting anti-Semitism that included language that could
characterize Palestinian rights campaigning as anti-Jewish bigotry.
Students, academics undeterred

In the face of ruthless attacks
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/trump-appeases-israel-lobby-executive-order>
by
local and federal lawmakers against students – and state curricula that
dare to mention Palestinian rights campaigns
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/israeli-app-claims-victory-over-ethnic-studies-california>
–
campus and academic boycott activism continued to flourish in 2019.

In August, after a three-year battle, Fordham University students won a
landmark legal victory
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/podcast-ep-8-university-must-unban-palestine-group-rules-court>
against
the university’s unilateral ban
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/fordham-university-prohibits-students-justice-palestine>
on
a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

After they tried to start the SJP chapter in 2015, students were subjected
to a year-long investigation. They were questioned repeatedly about their
political views, their affiliations and their opinions about BDS.

In February, there was a critical victory
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/us-court-throws-out-lawsuit-against-academic-boycott-israel>
for
academic freedom when a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the American
Studies Association
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/american-studies-association> over its
2013 decision to support the boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

Students at Brown University in Rhode Island became the first at an Ivy
League institution
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/students-vote-divest-brown-swarthmore>
to
pass a referendum calling for divestment from companies complicit in
Israel’s human rights violations.

The Brown vote follows a similar resolution passed by the student
government at Swarthmore College in early March.

In February, students at the University of Manchester in the UK crashed a
board meeting
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/students-say-manchester-university-complicit-murder-palestinians>
to
demand governors divest from Caterpillar
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/caterpillar>, a company involved in
Israeli war crimes.

Caterpillar supplies bulldozers the Israeli army uses to demolish
Palestinian homes.
Cultural boycott picks up steam

Various artists not only dumped Israel gigs but resisted pressure to stay
silent about Israel’s violence.

In June, American rapper Talib Kweli refused to cave in to demands
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/rapper-talib-kweli-rejects-german-demand-denounce-israel-boycott>
 from two German festivals
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/palestinians-call-boycott-german-festival>
that
he denounce the BDS movement.

He was disinvited from the festivals because of his refusal to repudiate
his support for Palestinian rights.

Kweli said that he would not “censor myself and lie about BDS for a check.”

Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, had passed a resolution
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/german-parliament-smears-quest-palestinian-rights-anti-semitic>
in
May falsely equating BDS with anti-Semitism.

The smear against a nonviolent movement that rejects all forms of racism
prompted protests
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-protest-german-attack-right-boycott-israeli-apartheid>
 and calls by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip to
cancel performances in solidarity with Kweli
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/palestinians-call-boycott-german-festival>
.

People across Europe took action
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/eurovision-protests-grow-solidarity-palestine>
in
response to the Palestinian call to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/eurovision> that was hosted in Tel
Aviv in May.

Dozens of LGBTQ groups had called for a boycott
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/lgbtq-groups-call-eurovision-boycott>
of
Eurovision, and many hosted “apartheid-free” parties on Eurovision finals
night as an alternative.

In the lead up to the contest, more than 100 French artists
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/eurovision-protests-grow-solidarity-palestine>
denounced
holding Eurovision in Tel Aviv, citing Israel’s crimes, including the
deliberate destruction in 2018 of Gaza’s main performance venue, the Said
al-Mishal Cultural Center.

Dozens of veterans of the Irish movement against South African apartheid
amplified calls on Ireland’s contestant, Sarah McTernan, to pull out of
Eurovision. Activists in Geneva delivered a 136,000-signature petition
against holding Eurovision in Tel Aviv to the headquarters of the European
Broadcasting Union, the body that organizes the contest.

Eurovision failed to live up to Israel’s hopes that it would bring a
tourism influx.

The expected flood of visitors to Tel Aviv failed to materialize
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/fans-staying-away-eurovision-tel-aviv>
and
thousands of tickets went unsold, forcing promoters to give seats away.

And in June, Nobel Prize-winning chemist, George P. Smith, along with 19
other scientists
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/nobel-prize-winner-calls-boycott-israel-physics-contest>
signed
a call on students and mentors to boycott July’s International Physics
Olympiad in Israel, “to stand for human rights of the young Palestinian
pupils and students, including their right to education.”

Here’s to the activism and victories in 2019, with more to come in 2020.

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