SPME
The academic year begins with BDS-linked Labour Party antisemitism crisis deepens as Democrats nominate anti-Israel candidates. The controversy over Labour’s refusal to adopt the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism portends similar battles in US academia and politics.…
read moreBDS in July accelerated efforts to divide the American Jewish community from Israel and to intensify internal divisions in the latter. Two incidents where Birthright participants walked off their tours in protest over ‘not being told about the occupation’ illustrate…
read moreWith summer the focus of BDS has become the international arena. Israeli officials revealed that most global BDS organizations have connections to terrorism through individuals linked to groups such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.…
read moreThe academic year ended with sudden late pushes for BDS resolutions and associated protests. While there were notable wins for BDS in student government, the larger goal remains shifting campus opinion against Israel and intimidating Israel supporters into silence. These…
read moreApril was an extremely active month for BDS thanks to the confluence of Passover, ‘Apartheid Week,’ Israel Independence Day, and Israel’s 70th anniversary. Several BDS resolutions were approved in student governments, while others were proposed, many timed to coincide with…
read moreMarch saw a variety of BDS efforts on campus, some timed to coincide with ‘Apartheid Week’ and with the Easter-Passover season. At the same time, BDS-inspired antisemitism crises burst out in several institutions, namely the British Labour Party, the Women’s…
read moreDisparate BDS events in February suggest that the movement is reorienting to changing political circumstances thanks to unprecedented pushback. This included US pressure that was key to the decision by the Irish parliament to postpone a vote on BDS legislation,…
read moreJanuary was shaped by the Israeli decision to ban high profile BDS activists and a series of embarrassing missteps by the BDS movement. With support apparently dropping on campus, the BDS movement’s antisemitic anger is exacerbating its clumsiness and prompting…
read moreThe fall semester ended with all eyes on President Trump’s official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This move prompted outcries from the BDS movement and usefully exposed its underlying antisemitism. At the same time, the BDS movement expanded efforts…
read moreThe BDS movement advanced nationally in November, with anti-Israel legislation supported by BDS organization introduced in the US Congress. The results of resolutions on campus, however, were mixed, suggesting that persistence and outside help are critical to the progress of…
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