The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has updated its boycott criteria, now calling for boycotts against anyone involved in normalized ties with Israel.
As published on the official BDS website by the BDS National Committee (BNC), its members and supporters are now called on to refrain from “displaying or promoting the works or products of those who their involvement in normalization practices are proven, until such involvement is ended in a convincing manner and in public, including a declaration of commitment to anti-normalization and cultural boycott.”
The statement also includes “not dealing with any product or activity of a person or institution that has previously been involved in normalization and has not withdrawn from it.”
The announcement was made following longstanding criticisms directed at the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan for their official normalization of ties with Israel, something that was perceived by many as a “betrayal” of the Palestinian cause. In fact, on September 15, the day ties with the UAE and Bahrain were officially normalized, the BNC published an update on the English-language BDS site titled “The UAE and Bahrain’s dictators are selling out the Palestinian people.”
The call to boycott countries who normalized ties with Israel comes as the movement also called for a global boycott of Spanish railway manufacturer CAF due to their involvement in the Jerusalem Light Rail development and maintenance.
