The Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Campaign National Committee (BNC)
The broad consensus among Palestinian civil society about the need for a broad and sustained Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resulted in the Palestinian Call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel that was launched in July 2005 with the initial endorsement of over 170 Palestinian organizations. The signatories to this call represent the three major components of the Palestinian people: the refugees in exile, Palestinians under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the subjugated Palestinian citizens of the Israeli state.
The efforts to coordinate the BDS campaign, that began to grow rapidly since the 2005 call was made public, culminated in the first Palestinian BDS Conference held in Ramallah in November 2007. Out of this conference emerged the BDS National Committee (BNC) as a coordinating body for the BDS campaign within Palestine. The goals of the BNC are:
“¢ To strengthen and spread the culture of Boycott as a central form of civil resistance to Israeli occupation and apartheid;
“¢ To formulate strategies and programs of action in accordance with the 9 July 2005 Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS;
“¢ To form the Palestinian reference point for BDS campaigns worldwide;
“¢ To form the national reference point for the anti-normalization campaigns within Palestine;
“¢ To coordinate the various BDS campaign efforts in all locations;
“¢ To organize a yearly conference of the organizations and initiatives involved in the BDS campaign.
