From Sharpeville to Gaza: 5 Years Since the Palestinian Call for BDS

“If calling for equality destroys any state then what does that say about the state?” Omar Barghouti

“South Africans have experienced apartheid so they don't apply that label on other parts of the world lightly.” Stephen Faulkner

The opening session of the October 22-24 BDS Conference in Montreal Quebec was an inspiring panel of three great speakers – below is a summary of the highlights for me of what each of them spoke about.

Areej Ja'fari is a Palestinian refugee living in Deheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem. She is the West Bank coordinator for the Palestine Freedom Project and has been working with grassroots Palestinian youth organizations in the refugee camps on promoting support for BDS and anti-normalization. One definition of the term 'anti-normalization', is efforts to combat “the subtle and insidious processes that legitimize Israel's colonization and occupation policies even as they purport to pursue peace.” This normalization of the occupation has been perpetuated by international organizations (especially after Oslo) that fund projects in Palestine and require the project to have an Israeli partner. From her work, Areej feels that Palestinian youth know their rights, but don't always have the tools to fight for their rights. She said that Palestinians need better leadership that comes from both women and youth. Areej was one of the organizers of the first Israeli apartheid week at Palestine universities this past spring - she's definitely a leader!

Stephen Faulkner is the International Officer of the South African Municipal Workers Union, one of the larger affiliates of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). COSATU plays a leading role in several campaigns including the Coalition for a Free Palestine, a united front of South African Palestine solidarity groups. Stephen provided several lessons that the BDS campaign could learn from the struggle against Apartheid South Africa:

• be careful in thinking that victory is around the corner, it is a long haul

• there is no substitute for self-determination, it IS a Palestinian BDS call

• make sure you give enough attention to what to do after you win the BDS demands, simply defeating apartheid has not solved the problems in South Africa

Stephen encouraged the BDS campaign to be a microcosm of the type of society that we want to build – and to be fully democratic, united, moving outwards, and willing to motivate people.

Omar Barghouti is the founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (his upcoming book, BDS: The Global Struggle for Palestinians Rights, will be published by Haymarket). Omar spoke about how the Israeli occupation has not only been a colonization of the land, but also a colonization of the mind (i.e. the destruction of thousands of Palestinian books, closures at different points through the years of schools and universities). This deeper level of colonization of Palestine makes the call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel that much stronger. Omar also touched on the increasing shift to the right of the Israeli government, to the point that the debate in Israel among the Jewish population is about fascism not apartheid. With the Israeli government discussing anti-BDS legislation, Israel is beginning to shift towards becoming non-democratic for Israeli Jews (it is already non-democratic for Palestinian Arab Israelis). Omar had the following recommendations for the BDS campaign:

• that local organizations decide the tactics and targets as they know the context of their local situation best

• a boycott of ALL Israeli good and products (it is the state that built and supports the settlements, so don't just do a boycott of settlement goods)

• put pressure on the Jewish National Fund (for which there is a Canadian chapter of that has charitable status in Canada)

• call for an immediate arms embargo in the region (for all parties in the conflict)

• call for an end to free trade agreements with Israel

Omar was interview by The Real News Network about the BDS call.

For those of you new to the 2005 Palestinian BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) of Israel call please go to www.bsmovement.net to learn more about it. The call asks for BDS measures to be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinians people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;

2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and

3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.