BDS is antisemitic and counterproductive to peace.

BDS is a rights-based movement that aims to end the occupation and colonization, achieve equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and respect the right of return of Palestinian refugees. It pursues these objectives through three tactics: boycotting complicit companies, divestment by institutions, and sanctions by governments until Israel complies with international law. If a grassroots movement advocating rights under international law is labeled antisemitic, that says far more about the accusation than it does about the movement.

The BDS movement explicitly rejects all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. As BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti explains: "Our non-violent struggle has never been against Jews or Israelis as Jews, but against an unjust regime that enslaves our people with occupation, apartheid and denial of the refugees' UN-stipulated rights."

When South Africans called for boycotts to end apartheid, no one claimed those boycotts were anti-white unless they were defending apartheid. The same logic should apply to Israel.

International and national law protect boycott advocacy and support actions aimed at ending complicity in international crimes. The International Court of Justice has reaffirmed that states must not assist Israel's unlawful occupation and must cooperate to bring it to an end, including through sanctions. Separately, the European Court of Human Rights has held that calls to boycott Israeli products are protected forms of expression, while U.S. constitutional law protects political boycotts as a form of free expression.

Accusing BDS of antisemitism conflates Judaism with Zionism. The BDS movement and the Palestinian liberation movement more broadly oppose Zionism because it is a settler-colonial movement that has subjected Palestinians to ethnic cleansing, occupation, apartheid, and genocide. There would have been resistance to Zionism regardless of the religion of the colonizers. The claim also collapses under the weight of millions of Jews around the world who oppose Zionism, support Palestinian rights, and participate in BDS campaigns.

BDS does not require waiting for complicit powerholders to act. It empowers individuals, communities, trade unions, and institutions to make informed decisions about their consumption and investment while building collective pressure for justice.

Opponents portray BDS as ineffective, yet the evidence shows the opposite. Boycotts and sanctions played an important role in ending apartheid in South Africa, advancing the U.S. civil rights movement, and challenging colonial rule elsewhere. It is precisely because of BDS's growing impact that Israel invests millions of dollars in attacking the movement and its supporters.

Critics often claim that BDS is counterproductive because it undermines dialogue and coexistence. Peace cannot be built on occupation, apartheid, and settler colonialism. As BDS insists, ending the occupation, achieving equality, and respecting the right of return are prerequisites for a just and lasting peace.

The attacks on BDS expose the complicity of powerful governments and institutions. Governments have passed anti-BDS laws, universities have penalized students, and lobby groups have smeared activists, violating freedom of expression. Meanwhile, many of these same governments and institutions continue to arm, fund, and diplomatically shield Israel despite its occupation, apartheid, and genocide.