Thousands died in Israel and Gaza earlier this year after military mobilized across the region, continuing a decades-long struggle over which leaders have control over the area. Claiming that more needs to be done to protect Palestinians, several organizations have formed in support of an Israeli boycott.
From goods and services to the rejection of academic and cultural involvement, these organizations claim that they are not making a religious statement, but a political one. Here are several recent and ongoing areas of concern from those promoting an Israel boycott.
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1. East Jerusalem and West Bank control: The central issue for many is the right of a Palestinian state and the land where that state would operate. Since the 1967 six-day war, several areas have been in dispute. Though Israel officially disengaged from Gaza in 2005, summer 2014 brought back violent conflict to the area. Thousands were killed on both sides of the border.
2. Human Rights issues: In 2012,
The United Nations Human Rights Commission investigated Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian Territory and concluded that Israel was in violation of a fourth Geneva Convention article, which prohibits occupying governments from transferring their civilians into occupied lands.
3. Ongoing clashes in the region: Though an August ceasefire ended a 50-day conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza, a group called Jews against Genocide says Israelis continue with an effort to eliminate the “non-Jewish indigenous population” of the area.
The Center for Research on Globalization reports the group is “a movement of Jews from all over the world, including Israelis, who are protesting against Israel’s intent to commit genocide.” The group has staged protests around the world in an attempt to raise awareness of ongoing clashes in the region.
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4. The Nakba: According to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, Israel denies what many call “the Nakba.” The Nakba is commemorated by Palestinians as a day in which hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes during the 1948 Palestinian War. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel notes this as one of the major reasons for boycotting Israel. The group asserts Israel is responsible, “In particular the waves of ethnic cleansing and dispossession that created the Palestinian refugee problem -- and therefore refusal to accept the inalienable rights of the refugees and displaced stipulated in and protected by international law.”
5. The wall: The Israeli government constructed a large wall called the Israeli West Bank Barrier that separates Israeli settlements from the rest of the area. The country built the wall as a self-defense measure. It effectively limits access for Palestinians to the area, and has been called inappropriate and illegal by the international community.
6. Racism towards the Palestinians: Groups encouraging a boycott against Israel point out that even peaceful political solutions are not working to eliminate what they call a system of racial discrimination and segregation against Palestinian citizens in Israel.
The BDS movement, which calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, likens the situation in Israel to the now defunct apartheid system in South Africa.
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