Introduction The fall semester began with attacks by Progressive Democrats on US aid to Israel. At the same time, attacks on free speech by BDS-related groups were made in the context of 9/11 commemorations. These complemented continuing efforts to reframe…
read moreIntroduction The summer concluded with the Ben & Jerry’s boycott of ‘settlements’ dominating BDS news. Various states pushed back against the ice cream company’s corporate owner, Unilever, in a test of local laws forbidding anti-Israel discrimination. But while pushback in…
read moreIntroduction July was characterized by fallout and pushback against various BDS statements and resolutions. Three notable trends were repeated pledges from academics at all levels to abandon ‘objectivity’ regarding Israel, the push for BDS in university and K-12 teachers’ unions,…
read moreIntroduction June was characterized by sweeping statements from academics and journalists declaring the impossibility of objectivity and evenhandedness when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pledging absolute fealty to the Palestinian cause. While there was pushback regarding earlier student…
read moreIntroduction The outbreak of violence between Hamas and Israel has reshaped the BDS environment. Academics, institutions, and celebrities have rushed to attack Israeli, to reinforce the alignment between the Palestinians and ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and to center the Palestinians as…
read moreThe debates over the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism have reached new heights, with faculty and students claiming the clauses mentioning Israel restrict free speech and the Palestinian right to attack Israel. Alternative definitions have been proposed which…
read moreBDS activities in March reflected both its use as an individual instrument and as a political wedge issue. Cornell West’s allegation that he was denied tenure at Harvard over his support for BDS appears to be an individual effort to…
read moreBDS in February focused on the IHRA definition of antisemitism and on the ‘International Criminal Court’s decision to investigate Israel for ‘war crimes.’ Growing opposition to the adoption of the IHRA definition has manifest particularly among students and faculty, putting…
read moreThe protests that wracked Washington at the beginning of January exposed how limits on free speech pioneered by the BDS movement, including deplatforming and cancellation, have spread into the political and cultural spheres. At the same time, the BDS movement’s…
read moreThe year 2020 ended with BDS pushed back to campus and progressive politics by Trump Administration policies and Middle East normalization agreements. A Biden Administration’s policies and staffing with respect to BDS, antisemitism, and Israel remain uncertain, but far left…
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