The Canadian BDS Coalition and many of its member groups and friends are among the more than 50 signatories to this open letter sent yesterday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland. Continue reading
Speaking with your economic buying power–an age old tactic
The BDS movement is building an economic boycott of Israel and developing effective campaigns against companies that participate in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
International companies aid and abet Israel’s violations of international law, including by operating in illegal Israeli settlements and acting as contractors for the Israeli military and government.
The economic boycott of Israel aims to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law and to persuade private companies to end their participation in Israel’s crimes.
Grassroots BDS campaigning is leading to major companies and investors changing their attitudes towards Israel and its oppression of Palestinians.
The Israeli economy is especially dependent on international trade and investment, making it especially susceptible to international economic boycotts.
Campaigning has led to major companies selling up and leaving Israel altogether and a range of investors divesting from Israeli and international companies.
The UN, the World Bank and other experts say that BDS is having an important economic impact on Israel.
Experts report growing economic impact of BDS: According to the authors of a UN report, BDS was a key factor behind at 46% drop in foreign direct investment into Israel in 2014 compared to 2013. The World Bank partially attributed a 24% drop in Palestinian imports from Israel to boycott. Reports by the Israeli government and the Rand Corporation have predicted that BDS could cost the Israeli economy billions of dollars.
Does the BDS movement call for a boycott of all Israeli products or just products and companies from illegal Israeli settlements?
The BDS movement calls for a boycott of all Israeli products. However, some of our biggest campaigns are against companies that operate in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank. This is simply because targeting these companies are, at this stage, more capable of winning widespread support and succeeding. As our movement grows, so do our ambitions and the BDS movement is currently in the process of moving away from campaigns focused mainly on illegal Israeli settlements.
A barcode starting with 729 usually indicates a product of Israel. But this is not always reliable. The best way to tell if a product is made in Israel is to look for a “Product of Israel” label or to ask the retailer if they can guarantee a product isn’t from Israel.
BNC Campaign: Priority Boycott & Related Actions
HP plays a key role in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. It provides technology, equipment and services to the Israeli military, including for the checkpoints and ID card system that underpin Israel’s apartheid policies and its movement restrictions for Palestinians.HP relies on its good image and its contracts with public organisations, civil society bodies and private businesses. Effective grassroots campaigning can push HP to end its role in Israeli apartheid and settler colonialism.
ACTIONS:
For Palestinians, agriculture is much more than the production of olives, citrus fruit and other fresh produce, or keeping livestock. Farming is tied to the Palestinian people’s identity, history and resistance to Israel’s colonial occupation.
ACTIONS:
Israeli Fruit and Vegetables, including Dates
Fruit and vegetables are one of Israel’s biggest exports and all Israeli agricultural exporters are complicit in Israel’s violations of international law as they operate on stolen Palestinian land.
Wineries
As an example, approximately 60-70 products labelled “made in Israel” are available through the LCBO in Ontario. Many of these have connection with illegal occupation of Syrian Golan or Palestinian territory.
Include the word “Israel” in the LCBO search to find stores and products to take action
See Canada Palestine Association re wine boycotts here.
Sabra
Sabra hummus is a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that provides financial support to the Israel Defense Forces.
Determine where it is sold in Canada HERE
Plan actions at Consumer Shows across Canada. Check HERE.
Air Canada sells Sabra on board its planes.
Dead Sea Salt
Check out CJPME resources here.
Ahava
Ahava cosmetics is one of Israel’s best known export companies.
Find locations selling this project HERE.
Action: contact Ahava stores and head office, and the Bay.
See resources from the United Church of Canada and CJPME
SodaStream
SodaStream home drinks machines are one of Israel’s best known exports.
For stores see here.
Major retailers include Hudson Bay, Canadian Tire, Home Outfitters, Walmart, London Drugs and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
See resources from the United Church of Canada and CJPME.
HSBC: end complicity in Israel’s militarised repression of Palestinians
The international HSBC bank is a major shareholder in companies selling weapons and military technology to Israel and also provides those companies with the loans they need to operate.
ACTIONS:
Hyundai
#BoycottHyundai
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Committee of Palestinian Citizens of Israel (BDS48) call upon our Palestinian people in the homeland and the Diaspora, the peoples of the Arab world, and people of conscience worldwide to boycott and divest from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), until it ends its involvement in Israel’s violations of our human rights, particularly in Jerusalem and the Naqab (Negev).
Inform yourself HERE.
Boycott the Following (research by Who Profits)
Coca Cola
Africa Israel: clothing line
Motorola
Naot
Pay Pal (see UCC)
Trip Advisor
Airbnb
Remax (see CJPME)
Ketter (see UCC)
Aroma Espresso Cafes
Toyota
Land Rover
General Motors
Mitsubishi
Note: several of these organizations have been on leaked UN Blacklists as well. Canada has two companies expected to be on the UN list when it is available but the names have not yet been released. We expect to provide more information on Canadian companies doing business in settlements and in support of the occupation, as well as further information on other products that have been verified by Who Profits and other groups.
The following have had verification work done previously:
Mountain Equipment Company by CJPME
Canadian Tire by CJPME , Canada Palestine Association, UCC
COSTCO by CJPME
H&M by CJPME
IBM by CJPME
IKEA by CJPME
Indigo by CJPME
Pizza Hut by CJPME
Toys’r’us see CJPME
Western Union see CJPME
The Bay see UCC
Walmart see UCC
IMPORTANT NOTE
The global nature of today’s economy means that there are thousands of companies that have links to Israel and are complicit to various degrees in Israel’s violations of international law. However, for our movement to have real impact we need our consumer boycotts to be easy to explain, have wide appeal and the potential for success. That’s why we particularly focus globally on a select few strategic campaigns. We also encourage the principle of context sensitivity, whereby activists in any given context decide what best to target and how, in line with BDS guidelines. There is a lot of information online claiming that some large companies give money to Israel, some of which turns out to be false. BDS has built a reputation for strictly adhering to established facts and producing the most accurate information.
Besides boycotting Israeli goods, what else can I do?
The BDS movement is about much more than consumer boycotts: it is also about campaigning alongside others to pressure institutions, unions, and companies to boycott or divest and to isolate Israel academically, culturally, economically and militarily. Check out the other areas of this Get Involved page for more information and ideas.
Frequent Questions and Answers
Will more items be added?
Yes. More products and organizations will be added as research is completed, and new campaigns added through the BNC, the Canadian BDS Coalition or local organizations.
What if I find a product, company or retailer that might be added to the list?
Provide details to bdscoalition@gmail.com
Should i make direct contact with companies and/or retailers before taking an action?
It is always advisable to make contact with the companies and retailers. For BNC campaigns this contact has been made at global level. For those organizations listed by Who Profits, they have been directly contacted by Who Profits. Similarly organizations like CJPME and UCC have made this contact before moving forward with campaigns. As part of publishing this list the Canadian BDS Coalition has made contact with organizations at a national level (still to be done). Best practices would be for local organizations and also individuals to also make such contact related to any boycott action or locally developed campaign.
CJPME: Canadian for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
UCC: United Church of Canada
Interested in being involved locally contact bdscoalition@gmail.com
HP plays a key role in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. It provides technology, equipment and services to the Israeli military, including for the checkpoints and ID card system that underpin Israel’s apartheid policies and its movement restrictions for Palestinians.HP relies on its good image and its contracts with public organisations, civil society bodies and private businesses. Effective grassroots campaigning can push HP to end its role in Israeli apartheid and settler colonialism.
ACTIONS:
The Canadian BDS Coalition joins with Youth Against Settlements in Hebron and people around the world. for #OpenShuhadaSt
Shuhada Street, once the main economic hub in Hebron, has been almost entirely closed to Palestinians since 1994 when an American-born Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire in the Ibrahimi mosque, killing 29 Palestinians and wounding over 100 more. While Israeli settlers roam freely on the streets and carry arms, Palestinian homes and shops are welded shut. Families must pass through checkpoints to reach their homes. Roads in Hebron are divided in half, one side for Jews, and the other for Muslims. Palestinians face daily physical attacks by ideologically extreme and violent settlers and soldiers.
For more details
http://www.yashebron.org/open_shuhada_street
Be sure to follow the Canadian BDS Facebook page for more details and Twitter @bds_coaliton.
Be in touch with Youth Against Settlement and Canadian BDS Coalition to share your #OpenShudhaSt actions.
#BanSettlementGoods.
#OpenShuhadaSt
Norwegian parliament.
Statement by Norwegian Parliamentarian Bjørnar Moxnes on Nominating the BDS Movement for Palestinian Rights for a Nobel Peace Prize:
As a member of the Norwegian parliament, I proudly use my authority as an elected official to nominate the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nominating the BDS movement for this recognition is perfectly in line with the principles I and my party hold very dear. Like the BDS movement, we are fully committed to stopping an ascendent, racist and right-wing politics sweeping too much of our world, and securing freedom, justice and equality for all people.
Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement and the American Civil Rights movement, the grassroots, Palestinian-led BDS movement is a peaceful, global human rights movement that urges the use of economic and cultural boycotts to end Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and international law.
The BDS movement seeks to end Israel’s half-century of military rule over 4.5 million Palestinians, including the devastating ten-year illegal siege collectively punishing and suffocating nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, the ongoing forcible eviction of Palestinians from their homes, and the theft of Palestinian land through the construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. It seeks equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel, currently discriminated against by dozens of racist laws, and to secure the internationally-recognized legal right of Palestinian refugees to return to homes and lands from which they were expelled. Palestinian refugees constitute nearly 50 percent of all Palestinians, and they are being denied their right to return, guaranteed by law to all refugees, simply because of their ethnicity.
The BDS movement’s aims and aspirations for basic human rights are irreproachable. They should be supported without reservation by all democratically-minded people and states.
The international community has a longstanding history of supporting peaceful measures such as boycotts and disinvestment against companies that profit from human rights violations. International support for such measures was critical in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and the racist colonial regime in former Rhodesia.
If the international community commits to supporting BDS to end the occupation of Palestinian territory and the oppression of the Palestinian people, new hope will be lit for a just peace for Palestinians, Israelis and all people across the Middle East.
The BDS movement has been endorsed by prominent figures, including the former Nobel Peace Prize winners Desmond Tutu and Mairead Maguire. It is gaining support from unions, academic associations, churches, and grassroots movements for the rights of refugees, immigrants, workers, women, indigenous peoples and the LGBTQI community. It is increasingly embraced by progressive Jewish groups and anti-racist movements across the world.
Eleven years since BDS’ launch, it’s high time for us to commit to doing no harm, and for all states to withdraw their complicity in Israel’s military occupation, racist apartheid rule, ongoing theft of Palestinian land, and other egregious human rights violations.
Awarding a Nobel Peace Prize to the BDS movement would be a powerful sign demonstrating that the international community is committed to supporting a just peace in the Middle East and using peaceful means to end military rule and broader violations of international law.
My hope is that this nomination can be one humble but necessary step towards bringing forth a more dignified and beautiful future for all peoples of the region.
Omar Barghouti is being BANNED by Israel from going to see his mother who is having a critical cancer surgery in Jordan
English and Arabic below.
Dear all,
This is to share with you that Israel has effectively banned me from traveling to Amman, Jordan to accompany my mother during an upcoming critical surgery.
My mother, Wafieh Barghouti, is 75 years old. She was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, and has been fighting it every since with bravery, dignity, and lots of her typically stinging political commentary on Facebook!
DEC 2, 2017 — Despite promise to meet with us, Bryan Adams has not been in touch.
This is the last chance to tell Bryan Adam’s do NOT do it!
Say NO to Apartheid Israel, don’t play in Israel.
Roger Waters, Checkpoint 303 and 25 other artists have said NO!
Boycott From Within, an organization of Israelis supporting the Palestinian BDS call, has sent an open letter to Bryan Adams asking him to heed the Palestinian call for BDS and cancel his upcoming performances in Israel. Continue reading
