Do you support BDS?

I have not been paying attention to it but I support the concept.

Israel should be leading the region out of the Dark Ages, but the right wingers and fundamentalists have a stake in maintaining strife. They can do it because US taxpayers are subsidizing them.

In which global conflict?

If you are talking about Israel, then I would say that BDS has been colossally ineffective, since it has made no difference either to Israel’s policy or economy. In fact, BDS has been counterproductive in that it has made the Israelis more intransigent and more independent than ever. As tactic, BDS has failed.

BDS seems like it makes the boycotters feel better (because they are play-acting that they are doing something) but it is not effective. The only reason sanctions mostly worked in Iran is that all other countries agreed. That isn’t the case with Israel.

Anyway – dumb idea.

@elbanditoroso – Did you feel the same way about South Africa and anti-apartheid movement?

Also, since there are legislators here in the U.S. who have tried to outlaw BDS, is it possible that it is more powerful a global movement than you insist?

@thisismyusername – answer my question first.

1) South African worked because it had worldwide agreement and coordination. Even then, it took decades. Israel BDS isn’t working because there is huge disagreement about whether Israel is in the right or the wrong, and whether the Palestinians have made themselves irrelevant in the middle east by being so disorganized. BDS against Israel isn’t working because Israel is economically successful regardless of sanctions.

2) If there is, as you posit, a more powerful global movement, then why are they so poor at what they do?

I’ll repeat what I wrote above. The BDS movement lets the boycotters feel good. It is play-acting. The boycotts themselves are meaningless and ineffective.

@elbanditoroso: “Israel BDS isn’t working because there is huge disagreement about whether Israel is in the right or the wrong,”

Huge disagreement? You mean that the U.S. disagrees?

@elbanditoroso: “f there is, as you posit, a more powerful global movement, then why are they so poor at what they do?”

I didn’t posit this. I said that BDS is seen as a threat. Ineffective masturbatory feel-good movements are not usually seen as a threat.

The BDS movement lets the boycotters feel good.

So you oppose that?

I support it as we should always speak out against injustice whether we are listened to or not.