Transcript BDS - norpac

Defending Israel Against the
Boycott, Divestment &
Sanctions (BDS) Movement
Prepared by NORPAC
2/16/2016
With materials from StandWithUs: http://www.standwithus.com/
Background

The Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) Movement is a propaganda
movement whose purpose is to instill hostility against the Jewish state and to
erode American support for Israel.

BDS’s ultimate goal is to get Americans to accept a radical agenda which
would lead to the elimination of the Jewish state.
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BDS activists do this by blaming Israel alone for
the lack of peace between Israel and the Palestinians,
and by eliminating all context for Israel's actions.
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After spreading lies and misinformation about Israel,
they call for punishing it with boycotts, divestment
or sanctions.
What Are Boycotts, Divestments,
& Sanctions?

Boycott
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Divestment
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A boycott occurs when one entity withdraws
from commercial or social relations with another
as a punishment or protest.
This can come in the form of denying the purchase
of certain goods or services
A divestment, like a boycott, is the severing of ties to another entity.
Divestments are like secondary boycotts; for example, one business may refuse to
do business with, or sever ties to, another that profits from trade with Israel.
Sanctions
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Taking boycotts one step further, sanctions impose a penalty on entities for
conducting business with a certain barred entity.
Origins of BDS
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The modern BDS Movement took form in the early 2000’s
 During the 2001 United Nations Durban conference, anti-Israeli forces
hijacked an event originally designed to deal with the global fight
against racism, turning it into an unprecedented hate-fest targeting the
Jewish state.
 It was at this NGO meeting that the “Apartheid Strategy”, a propaganda
campaign designed to “brand” Israel as the heir of Apartheid South
Africa , was born.
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The leaders of BDS are from the Middle East,
and like Hamas, they don’t want Israel to
exist in the neighborhood.
 Like Hamas they chant: "From the River
to the Sea, Palestine will be free" which is
another way of saying that Israel will be gone.
BDS is Anti-Semitism
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BDS is the newest form of anti-Semitism.
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BDS is an expression of the new anti-Semitism that targets the Jewish
state instead of Jewish people
It singles out Israel by demonizing Israeli soldiers and the Israeli people,
and uses a double standard expecting Israel to live
up to standards not expected of any other nation
BDS ignores context, never mentioning Palestinian
groups like Hamas, the thousands of rockets
Hamas and affiliated terrorist groups have fired,
or the incitement to hate and murder Israelis and Jews that pervades
official and popular Palestinian media.
Jewish and pro-Israel students are often harassed or intimidated by
BDS supporters on college campuses
They remove all responsibility from the Palestinian people, denying
they have any hand for the ongoing problems.
How BDS Operates
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Deep Infiltration
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BDS’ tentacles have reached nearly all arenas of society: corporations, small businesses, the
arts, churches, synagogues, professional associations, labor unions, science, medicine,
technology, libraries, social media, communities, and local governments.
College Focus
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BDS’ biggest focus is college campuses, where it uses dishonest rhetoric about “social
justice” and “human rights” to appeal to young people, who are our future leaders and
opinion makers.
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They cloak these extremist demands in social justice and human right rhetoric
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Campus BDS activists work to manipulate minority groups, progressive organizations,
campus media, and student governments into aiding their malicious agenda.
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BDS attempts to dominate student governments and pass resolutions that call on schools
to divest endowment funds from companies doing business in Israel.
Challenges to Opposing BDS
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BDS is formidable
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BDS is relentless
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It is a well-funded, well-organized, strategic global
propaganda campaign with fervent operatives who
demonize and delegitimize Israel and its supporters.
The BDS movement does not worry about losing
individual battles today. It is persistent and returns
next week, next month, next year. Temporary defeats
do not deter BDS activists. They are in this fight for
the long haul.
BDS uses stealth tactics to gain PR victories
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Activists manipulate customary legal and political
procedures of the institution they are targeting,
including our free speech liberties, to catch Israel’s
supporters by surprise, leaving them no time to mount
effective opposition to BDS actions, resolutions,
guerrilla campaigns, and street theater.
Outcomes of BDS
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The boycott movement hurts both Palestinians and Israelis but the
boycotters don't care.
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BDS activity has grown and
continues to gain momentum,
especially on the college campuses
in America. In other areas, it has
seen minimal success.
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BDS has called for the labeling
of goods that come from the Golan Heights and
the West Bank. This recently gained traction in
the EU, which on November 15th of 2015 imposed
labeling on "goods from the territories occupied
by Israel since June 1967.
Reacting to BDS
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New Pro-Israel Leadership
 The BDS movement is creating new leaders for Israel who are fed up with the
allegations against Israel and want to become engaged in helping tell Israel's side
of the story.
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Investing Greater Resources To Go Above and Beyond BDS’ Efforts
 Long-term strategic vision based on compelling messaging and education,
widespread mobilization of Israel’s supporters, and building broad support among
people with diverse backgrounds and political viewpoints.
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Greater emphasis on attaining leadership positions with all major institutions targeted
by BDS
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Working with elected officials to fight BDS by legal means
Legislation to Combat BDS
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South Carolina
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Illinois
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New law in 2015 preventing public entities from contracting with businesses
engaging in the “boycott of a person or an entity based in or doing business with a
jurisdiction with whom South Carolina can enjoy open trade.”
signed into law a bill last year requiring the state to divest from foreign companies
that support boycott, divestment or sanctions (BDS).
U.S. Congress
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Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015
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The provision puts the US firmly on record opposing BDS and supporting enhanced commercial
ties between the United States and Israel
Combating BDS Act of 2016
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protects state and local governments' right to disassociate pensions and contracts from entities that
boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel.
Combating BDS Act of 2016 (1 of 2)
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This is a bipartisan bill authored by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Joe
Manchin (D-WV) in the Senate and Reps. Juan Vargas (D-CA) and
Bob Dold (R-IL) in the House
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Talking Points:
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This bill will protect state and local governments’ right to disassociate
pensions and contracts from entities that boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel.
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Protects local and state governments from lawsuits by divested entities
Legislation will reaffirm the Congress’ strong opposition to BDS in all of its
manifestations—and its commitment to the principle that the only way forward is
a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Combating BDS Act of 2016 (2 of 2)
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Free Speech Rights are Unaffected
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Federal courts have ruled that economic boycotts are not protected free
speech
Congress has a record of rejecting boycotts based on
national origin
Boycotts Undermine Peace Efforts
The Boycott Movement harms the very people it purports to
help
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Over 600 Palestinian-Arab jobs lost over Sodas Stream being forced to
relocate in response to BDS pressure
Combating BDS:
What to Ask Members of Congress
1.
Support the for Combating BDS Act of 2016
Will you support the Combating BDS Act of 2016 to reaffirm the
Congress’ strong opposition to BDS in all of its manifestations by
protecting state and local governments’ right to disassociate pensions
and contracts from entities that boycott, divest from, or sanction
Israel?
1.
1.
2.
House bill: H.R. 4514, co-authored by Reps. Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Bob Dold
(R-IL): https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4514/
Senate bill: S. 2531, co-authored by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Joe Manchin (DWV): https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2531/
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