In 2005, a coalition of Palestinian civil society groups called for people all over the world to engage in a non-violent campaign to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel until it complies with international law. The call was inspired by the international boycott and divestment initiatives applied to South Africa in the struggle to abolish apartheid. We host a debate between Omar Barghouti, a founding member of the BDS campaign and a Palestinian human rights activist and commentator, and Rabbi Arthur Waskow, a longtime anti-war and civil rights activist who is the founder and director of the Shalom Center.

Indirect negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders are expected to begin next week as US Middle East envoy George Mitchell returns to the region. The Arab League has agreed to back the US proposal for four months of indirect talks. While many observers are skeptical of these so-called proximity talks succeeding when years of direct negotiations have failed to produce an equitable and lasting peace, Palestinian civil society and international solidarity activists are using very different tactics to push for a just resolution of the conflict.

In 2005, a coalition of Palestinian civil society groups called for people all over the world to engage in a non-violent campaign to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel until it complies with international law. Inspired by the international boycott and divestment initiatives applied to South Africa in the struggle to abolish apartheid, the new movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions or BDS for short was born.

This week marks what many BDS campaigners call “Israeli Apartheid Week.” First launched at the University of Toronto in 2005, it now includes events at university campuses in more than 40 cities around the world. Several Israeli officials and Diasporic Jewish organizations have criticized the events and a recent report by an Israeli think tank highlights the BDS movement as part of a “deligitimization network” that Israel should treat as a “potentially existential threat.”

Well, today we host a debate on the BDS movement, the call to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel.

Omar Barghouti is a founding member of the BDS campaign and a Palestinian human rights activist and commentator, joining us from Berkeley, California.

And for an anti-BDS position we”re joined from Philadelphia, by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, a longtime anti-war and civil rights activist who is the founder and director of the Shalom Center.

Omar Barghouti, founding member of the BDS campaign and a Palestinian human rights activist and commentator.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, longtime anti-war and civil rights activist who is the founder and director of the Shalom Center.