Delegitimization of Israel: “Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions”

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“Were the UN to vote today on the creation of Israel, the motion would fail. The outcome of November 29, 1947, would not be repeated, for the world has decided that Israel was a mistake. No other country anywhere is subjected to debate as to whether it should exist. And that is the fact that matters more than any other.”

Daniel Gordis, Shalem Center, Jerusalem

The fight against the delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel is one of the defining issues of our time. Many of Israel’s opponents today hope to negate the existence of the state entirely rather than condemn certain policies of any Israeli government. In singling out Israel for such opprobrium, and such punishment, most of Israel’s adversaries cross the line from legitimate criticism of a controversial nation state to the kinds of double-standards and demonization Jews have endured for centuries.

The medium through which the campaign to delegitimize Israel is achieved is, in the main, commercial, academic and cultural boycotts and divestment campaigns, which, our enemies hope, will eventually lead to economic sanctions. These campaigns seem to be gaining momentum. On an almost weekly basis we hear of a new university, student union or trade union that is considering a boycott of Israeli products, professors or sports teams.

The BDS campaign must be taken seriously, for it seeks to escalate, but we should not be defensive in combating it. As Israeli Prime Minister reportedly said when responding to the U.N. Human Rights Council’s vote to send the Goldstone Report to the Security Council, “We are now setting out to delegitimize those who try to delegitimize us.”

The GFCA recognizes the urgent need to combat this campaign as earnestly and vehemently as possible. As a result we have convened this working group to try and come up with imaginative, effective and successful solutions to counter this evil. We will be focusing on how to analyze the problem in North America, Europe, and the rest of the world, as well as how to play both “defense” and “offense” in forging overall strategies.