What is bds?
In July 2005, over a hundred organizations representing Palestinian civil society came together in a call upon their counterparts and people of conscience all over the world to play an effective role in the Palestinian struggle for justice. This call initiated the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights.
The BDS movement against Israel finds its inspiration in the anti-apartheid campaigns organized against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Over the course of over thirty years, South Africa activists and solidarity activists around the world turned the tide against the unjust South African government, asserting that was (and is) morally and economically unacceptable to deal with an oppressive and unjust regime.
Thus, the most critical point about BDS is that it works. (And in reference to arguments that BDS hurts Palestinians, this article is probably the most succinct answer one could give.)
The Palestinian call, then, urges various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law by:
SJP does not presume to be an expert on the Palestine-Israel conflict nor do we presume to advocate for certain one- or two-state solutions at an organizational level; this is up to Palestinians to decide. Rather our concern is to help raise Palestinians to a platform from which they may speak and discuss as equals. Without equality, true and lasting peace in Palestine cannot be achieved.
The BDS movement against Israel finds its inspiration in the anti-apartheid campaigns organized against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Over the course of over thirty years, South Africa activists and solidarity activists around the world turned the tide against the unjust South African government, asserting that was (and is) morally and economically unacceptable to deal with an oppressive and unjust regime.
Thus, the most critical point about BDS is that it works. (And in reference to arguments that BDS hurts Palestinians, this article is probably the most succinct answer one could give.)
The Palestinian call, then, urges various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law by:
- Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantling the Wall;
- Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
- Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
SJP does not presume to be an expert on the Palestine-Israel conflict nor do we presume to advocate for certain one- or two-state solutions at an organizational level; this is up to Palestinians to decide. Rather our concern is to help raise Palestinians to a platform from which they may speak and discuss as equals. Without equality, true and lasting peace in Palestine cannot be achieved.
Click each image to find out more about the BDS movement.
For more in-depth reading about the BDS movement, check out the following texts:
- Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights by Omar Barghouti
- The Case for Sanctions Against Israel by Omar Barghouti, Ilan Pappe, Hind Awwad, Noura Erakat, Nada Elia, & others
how do jesuit values fit into all this?
As a Loyolan (yet decidedly secular) organization, SJP takes Loyola's emphasis on social justice (a term credited as originally coined by a Jesuit priest) seriously; rather than take what we learn in our ethics and interdisciplinary courses at face value, we strive to practice social justice in our daily lives.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for example, indicates that society "ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority" (Catholic Church 1928).
SJP, then, strives to help shape society--whether that entails Loyolan, American, Israeli, or Palestinian--in positive ways such that Palestinians can one day truly obtain what is due. SJP also attempts to lend a critical eye in understanding what various media outlets, peace processes, and governments have deemed to be the "common good" for Palestinian and Israelis.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for example, indicates that society "ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority" (Catholic Church 1928).
SJP, then, strives to help shape society--whether that entails Loyolan, American, Israeli, or Palestinian--in positive ways such that Palestinians can one day truly obtain what is due. SJP also attempts to lend a critical eye in understanding what various media outlets, peace processes, and governments have deemed to be the "common good" for Palestinian and Israelis.
*Information comes from the website of the official Palestinian BDS Committee