[Opinion] No, Omar Barghouti is not a co-founder of the Israel boycott movement BDS
Professor Gerald Steinberg addresses Omar Barghouti and the BDS Movement.
NGOs: | FIDH: International Federation of Human Rights (Paris) |
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Other Content Types: | Press Releases, In The Media, Presentations, Posts, , Key Issues |
Publications: | Reports, Books, Academic Publications, Submissions, Resource Pages |
Start date: | 1 Jan 1988 |
End date: | 29 Jun 2024 |
Professor Gerald Steinberg addresses Omar Barghouti and the BDS Movement.
On March 13, 2019, Amnesty International posted, “Think Twice: Can companies do business with Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories while respecting human rights?” The Amnesty campaign coincides with the anticipated release of the UN Human Rights Council blacklist of “settlement” businesses and is designed to bolster this UN initiative singling out Israel for attack.
Although Palestinian officials are often portrayed as the initiators and leaders, in practice, the campaigns are largely led by officials of Western institutions, including powerful non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in the areas of human rights, international law, peace, and other normative objectives.
On July 25, 2018, the UN Human Rights Council appointed three individuals to serve as members of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into what has been predetermined to be Israel’s “military assaults on the large-scale civilian protests” along the Gaza border.
Several French-funded NGOs involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict use the facade of human rights and international law to blur the lines between “peaceful” and “nonviolent” campaigns and violent “resistance” including attacks against civilians. By exploiting the language of human rights and by working together in a tight network, these groups are able to amplify their claims, garner undue exposure, and gain legitimacy for their radical ideologies.
On May 28, 2018, Human Rights Watch issued yet another publication targeting Israeli banks. These materials are part of HRW’s continuing role in a broader BDS campaign to damage Israel’s economy through the financial sector.
On May 18, 2018, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held a “special session of the Human Rights Council on the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” Many of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that participated in the session condemned Israel for allegedly committing “war crimes” and denied the legitimacy of Israel’s right to self-defense.
Professor Gerald Steinberg argues that more non-governmental organizations (NGOs) need to adopt and abide by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism.
In advance of the 37th Council session (February 26 - March 23, 2018), the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has released a report on the “BDS blacklist” of companies that do business with Israelis over the 1949 Armistice Line. The report, submitted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, provides important details on the flawed process and the difficulties inherent in creating a list of companies to be targeted by this form of BDS.
The European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine held a conference, “Fifty Years of Occupation and Counting: Is it time for a new EU Policy on the Middle East Peace Process?” The conference featured politicians, academics, and NGO officials advocating Israel’s isolation and calling on the European Union and other countries to increase international pressure and to impose sanctions on Israel. None of the speakers advocated for dialogue and/or negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.