War by Other Means A History of Anti-Israel Boycotts, From the Arab League to BDS

Key Findings:

This monograph explores the history, strategy, tactics, ideology, and actors behind the economic warfare campaign targeting Israel. It also provides several policy recommendations for US lawmakers in light of the research presented. 

1. History

At the turn of the 20th century, many Arabs in British-Mandated Palestine (and in newly-founded neighboring countries) opposed Jewish presence in the land. Arab leaders first officially encouraged boycott of Jewish businesses in 1922. Eventually, the Arab League launched a comprehensive boycott in 1948, seeking to reverse the outcome of Israel’s War of Independence by leveraging the disparity between its members’ oil-rich markets and the diminutive Israeli economy. The three-pronged campaign (1) forbade Arab states, businesses, and citizens from trading with Israel (2) blacklisted companies caught doing so, and (3) forbade commerce with companies engaging with blacklisted corporations. 

The boycott forced numerous major corporations to avoid or cut ties with the Jewish state. American anti-boycott measures and inconsistent enforcement by Arab League member states convinced many companies to reject the boycott. Moreover, when the boycott did succeed, it prompted resentment among the affected countries. The Arab League boycott receded during the 1990’s Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which saw the Palestinian Authority officially accept economic relations with Israel. When the peace process unraveled, however, NGOs and Western activists revived the boycott. 

After the launch of the Second Intifada, activists endorsing sanctions against Israel began to invoke false claims of apartheid, and key forerunners of the BDS campaign emerged. At the UN-sponsored 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, an NGO Forum called for “complete and total isolation of Israel as an apartheid state, as in the case of South Africa, which means the imposition of mandatory and comprehensive sanctions and embargoes, [and] the full cessation of all links (diplomatic, economic, social, aid, military cooperation and training) between all states and Israel.” This declaration would become a touchstone for activists and NGOs seeking to delegitimize Israel, as it officially equated Zionism with racism.

2. Tactics, Ideology, and Actors

The language in the BDS call is intentionally vague for easy misinterpretation of the movement as a human rights appeal. BDS makes three demands of Israel: (1) Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall [Israel’s separation barrier] (2) Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality (3) Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194. 

Upon further examination, the strategic objective of BDS to delegitimize Israel, isolate it internationally and cause its implosion becomes clear. A few examples: (1) Reference to the “colonization of all Arab lands” — significant because the campaign considers the entirety of Israel to be a colonial enterprise, resting on the ahistorical premise that Palestinians are indigenous people and Jewish Israelis are not, and ignoring the fact that over half of Israel’s Jewish population descends from Jewish refugees fleeing oppression in Arab and Muslim countries; (2) Regarding the second point, Arab citizens of Israel are already entitled to the same individual rights and liberties as Jewish citizens.

Moreover, several BDS leaders have been quite candid about their goal. Omar Barghouti, one of the founders, has stated that that the only solution is “euthanasia” for Israel. 

The BDS campaign has focused on three types of targets for boycott, divestment and sanctions: commercial enterprises, academic institutions, and prominent cultural figures and organizations. Actors enabling successful BDS campaigns include pro-BDS NGOs, fringe Jewish BDS groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace, campus BDS groups and academics, the Palestinian Authority, some trade unions, and some mainline Protestant churches. Notably, (non-Jewish) Black-American and Palestinian activism have recently converged due to BDS efforts to attract supporters by equating American racial tensions with recurrent conflict in Gaza.

The ultimate outcome of this campaign is uncertain. If efforts to defame the sole Jewish nation-state prove successful over the long term, both economic and political consequences will inevitably follow. So long as the U.S.-Israel alliance remains strong, such an outcome is unlikely. Pressure campaigns targeting Israel will likely continue into the foreseeable future.