JERUSALEM (AP) — Ten years ago, a small group of Palestinian activists had a novel idea: inspired by the anti-apartheid movement, they called for a global boycott campaign against Israel as a nonviolent method to promote the Palestinian struggle for independence. Long confined to the sidelines, the so-called BDS campaign appears to be gaining momentum — so much so that Israel has identified it as a strategic threat on a par with Palestinian militant groups and the Iranian nuclear program. While Israel says the movement is rooted in anti-Semitism, its decentralized organization and language calling for universal human rights have proven difficult to counter, resulting in a string of recent victories that have alarmed Israeli leaders. At a time when peace efforts are frozen and show no sign of getting back on track under a new hard-line government, Israelis fear such sentiment will increase. The BDS movement has three goals: to end Israel's occupation of territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war, to end discrimination suffered by Arab citizens of Israel, and to promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to family properties lost in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. Israel opposes the Palestinian "right of return," saying a massive influx of refugees would mean the end of the country as a Jewish state. The international community favors a "two-state solution" creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has indicated willingness to compromise on the refugee issue under a final peace deal. Perhaps the biggest blow was last month's announcement by the chief executive of French mobile phone giant Orange that he wanted to end his partnership with Israeli carrier Partner Communications. The Nazis launched a nationwide boycott of Jewish businesses — often accompanied by acts of violence and anti-Semitic slogans — and artists in the 1930s Germa
Boycott Israel Drive Gains Strength, Raising Alarm
By TIA GOLDENBERG, Associated Press, San Antonio Express-News: World
Tue, 07/07/2015 - 12:19am
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