3 words: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions

AFOPA's "3 Things" Digest

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16 July 2016

3 words: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions

July marks 11 years since the Palestinian call for a non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until Israel complies with its obligations under international law.

Eleven signs that BDS continues to grow despite Israel’s war of repression
7 July 2016: The Palestinian-led, global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was launched eleven years ago as a nonviolent and effective means for progressive people and organisations across the world to support the struggle of the Palestinian people for our rights under international law. ... [Since then], support for BDS has not only continued to grow – it has accelerated. Western governments, leading political parties and the world’s largest human rights organisations have recently recognised BDS as a legitimate means of nonviolently advocating and campaigning for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. Read full article here >>

Israel's in a bit of a pickle
Five years, 125,000 leaflets, thousands of conversations, one abandoned film festival...and a pickle campaign. AFOPA's dedicated and hard-working BDS group launched a new campaign in Adelaide - Israel's in a bit of a pickle - in mid-April. AFOPA's Executive Member, Margaret Cassar, writes about the campaign and the successes of one of the longest-running BDS groups in Australia - read full article here >>

How many years is 297 weeks?
Margaret reports on a wintry cold Week #297 of consistent BDS activism, education and awareness-raising in Adelaide - read full article here >>

An Australian Perspective on BDS
Bishop George Browning, President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, of which AFOPA is a member, writes about BDS in the Australian context:
22 June 2016 - Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
12 July 2016 - BDS even more vital

The Greatest Threat to Free Speech:
"In terms of systematic, state-sponsored, formalised punishments for speech and activism, nothing compares to the growing multi-nation effort to criminalise activism against Israeli occupation," says Glen Greenwald, The Intercept, 17 Feb. 2016.