Last month saw the extraordinary possibility of a change in the power dynamic between Palestine and Israel. It confirmed the fact that a heretofore almost unnoticed, nonviolent campaign called Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement has Israel on the run.
We already know the gross military imbalance of power between the parties. Politically speaking, one is the occupier and the other is the occupied. One is the oppressor, the other the victim. One is highly organised with one of the most powerful armies in the world, fighting with F16s, the other wielding stones and other crude weapons. The peace process has been completely discredited. And, after Israel’s latest assault on Gaza, it was exposed as little more than another weapon in Israel’s arsenal of repression and land grab. The situation, until recently, seemed hopeless. But due to the remarkable growth of a global solidarity movement, there may be a glimmer of hope for the Palestinians. In 2004, a call from Palestinian civil society for an international economic and cultural boycott of Israel has been gaining support from activists, labour and human rights organisations around the world. Because of the brutalities of the latest Israeli attack on Gaza, the conscience of people around the world galvanised them into action. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets and support for the boycott has grown immeasurably. In the past, writers signed petitions; artists cancelled performances; university professors expressed their opposition; and outspoken parliamentarians refused to keep quite. Yet, it seemed to have little effect as Israel continued with its brutal occupation.
But something has changed.
Former Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, speaking this summer at the World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, emphasised that the BDS Movement hopes to destroy Israel. He asserted that BDS supporters hoped to succeed where the Arab armies and terrorist organisations had failed. Oren stated the simple fact that the latest assault on Gaza had changed everything. BDS has gained momentum and can no longer be ignored. He was alarmed that ‘Operation Protective Edge’ had resulted in a further delegitimisation of Israel in the eyes of the world. Oren said: “In California, port workers would not unload Israeli goods. Some places won’t deliver mail to Israel. The ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ (IAW) is ongoing. I was called a criminal in a lecture. In Europe, millions were withdrawn from Israel ... BDS wants to turn Israel into a leper state. BDS is very coordinated and is designed to undermine the security and existence of Israel.”
Oren is right — BDS is a coordinated threat, committed to recognising the Palestinian right of return and ending Israel’s violent occupation, the denial of human rights, the collective punishment and dispossession of a defenceless population. Oren’s reference to the Oakland California dockworkers’ refusal to unload a ship owned by the Israel government is particularly relevant. Zim International Shipping Lines funds the occupation and is therefore an appropriate target for the boycott. Founded in 1945 by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Histadrut, as Israel’s only maritime connection, it served the Zionist goal of establishing a Jewish state by bringing colonists to Palestine. Zim shipping (with its majority shares owned by the Israeli government) is required to provide 13 ships that deliver cargo, including weapons and instruments of oppression that generate revenue for Israel from ports all around the world.
With such support for BDS from organised labour, the potential economic threat to Israel is staggering. More recent ‘Block the Boat’ actions have taken place in Oakland, spread to Tampa, Florida, with future initiatives planned for Los Angeles and other west coast ports in the US and Canada. There are likely to be serious economic ramifications for companies employing Zim shipping, as ‘Block the Boat’ spreads internationally, resulting in long delays for the unloading of cargo. The consequences for the Israeli economy must be a major concern for its leaders and officials.
Politically of equal concern to those Zionist leaders are recent decisions by a number of European Union countries to caution their citizens about the consequences of entering into commercial or legal agreements with companies in the Occupied Territories. Following the lead of Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain more than 17 countries have issued the warning that purchases, as well as economic activities with companies in Israeli colonies “entail legal and economic risks stemming from the fact that the settlements [colonies], according to international law, are built on occupied land and are not recognised as a legitimate part of Israeli territory”. The identified Occupied Territories include occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Golan Heights.
And Oren’s concern is quite palpable when he says “Israeli Apartheid Week is growing”. The yearly event, which started on a Canadian university campus in 2005, last year had spread to more than 160 campuses around the world. During the week-long event, students and the public were invited to attend seminars and cultural events, which focus on the apartheid nature of the Israeli state and build support for the BDS Movement. Despite harassment by Zionist organisations from outside the community and intimidation from some university administrators who are willing to sacrifice the students’ constitutional right to freedom of speech, IAW has sufficient momentum to warrant serious attention from those who are determined to block the dissemination of truth about Israel and its apartheid regime.
The growth of BDS presents the greatest challenge Israel has faced. It has been triumphant in war and very successful in controlling the narrative — “Israel is a victim; criticism of Israel is anti-semetic”. The BDS Movement now has them on the defensive.
Adel Safty is distinguished visiting professor and special adviser to the rector at the Siberian Academy of Public Administration, Russia. His book, Might Over Right, is endorsed by Noam Chomsky and published in England by Garnet, 2009.
