List of BDS-related controversies is a list of controversies relating to the BDS movement. BDS calls for boycotts of Israel until it fulfill what BDS describes as Israel's obligations under international law.[1]
2014
editNullification of BDS resolution
editIn December, 2014 UAW Local 2865, a local chapter of the United Auto Workers union representing over 14,000 workers at the University of California, adopted a resolution in support of BDS with 65 percent of the vote in favor.[2] It became the first major US labor union to endorse BDS.[3]
A year after the vote, the UAW International Executive Board (IEB) informed UAW Local 2865 that it had nullified the vote. The opposition to the BDS resolution came from a small pro-Israel group known as the Informed Grads,[4] represented by the global law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. IEB said that the endorsement of the boycott would interfere with the "flow of commerce to and from earmarked companies." UAW 2865's BDS Caucus repudiated the IEB's argument, saying that the IEB cared more about the "flow of commerce" than solidarity with Palestinian labor unions.[5] The IEB further alleged that the resolution was anti-Semitic; the BDS Caucus called the allegation "the same baseless accusations of anti-Semitism frequently attributed to anyone who is critical of Israel."[5]
2015
editMatisyahu disinvite
editThe Spanish Rototom Sunsplash music festival disinvited the Jewish American rapper Matisyahu after he refused to sign a statement supporting a Palestinian state. Matisyahu said that it was "appalling and offensive" that he was singled out because he is "one publicly Jewish-American artist".[6] After criticism from Spain's daily paper El País,[7] the Spanish government, and Jewish organisations,[8] the organisers apologised to Matisyahu and reinvited him, saying they "made a mistake, due to the boycott and the campaign of pressure, coercion and threats employed by the BDS País Valencià."[9]
BDS País Valencià denied that Matisyahu was targeted because he is Jewish, writing that they tried to get him cancelled because of his views on Israel. In particular, they noted that he had played at a fundraiser for the IDF and at a conference for AIPAC and had defended Israel's boarding of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters.[10] Mark LeVine commented that it would hardly have been surprising if a festival had canceled a Palestinian-American rapper who professed support for Hamas.[11]
The Milan Chatterjee affair
editIn September, the campus group Diversity Campus reached out to the President of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Milan Chatterjee, and requested $2,000 in funding for a town hall event to be held in November. Chatterjee agreed, but stipulated that the group would lose their funding if they associated with "Divest from Israel or any equivalent movement/organization," referring to groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) which advocates for boycotts of Israel.[12] Chatterjee claimed that the GSA Cabinet had a "zero engagement policy" towards such groups, although no other cabinet members could recall such a policy.[13] A week later, Chatterjee sent a link to a Doodle poll to the cabinet members, asking them to vote on a "neutrality clause" on speech related to "Israel-Palestine."[13]
In October, SJP found out about the stipulation from the Diversity Campus. SJP felt it was unfairly singled out because of their political views. They assumed that, since Chatterjee referred to "policy," that the funding stipulation was explicitly approved of by the GSA Cabinet and blessed by the university.[13]
In mid-November, civil rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal got involved. They sent a joint letter to the UCLA administration expressing concern over the stipulation and requested that it should be rescinded.[13] Several Israel-aligned organizations including StandWithUs, the Zionist Organization of America, the Lawfare Project, and the American Center for Law and Justice sided with the GSA and Chatterjee.[14]
The Discrimination Prevention Office at UCLA investigated the matter and concluded that Chatterjee had violated university policy which requires neutral point of view in allocating mandatory student fees. They also stated that the "policy violation had a negative effect on campus climate."[15] Meanwhile, pro-BDS members of the GSA attempted to have Chatterjee impeached and removed from office.[16]
The findings caused controversy and over 500 alumni signed a petition calling for UCLA to issue a public apology to Chatterjee. Prominent donors threatened to stop giving to the school. The American Jewish Committee gave Chatterjee an award for "standing up to anti-Semitism and the BDS movement." Chatterjee said that the university scapegoated him and he transferred to NYU to finish his degree.[12]
2018
editBrian Eno disinvite
editComposer and singer Brian Eno was disinvited to music festival in Düsseldorf, Germany due to his longtime support of BDS. The organizers of the festival said that they didn't want to invite anyone "who supports activities against the State of Israel".[17]
Young Fathers disinvite
editIn 2018, the British hip-hop trio Young Fathers was disinvited from the German festival Ruhrtriennale because the group had "regrettably failed to distance itself from BDS." 75 artists and cultural figures wrote an open letter criticizing what they believed were "attempts to impose political conditions on artists supporting Palestinian human rights." The group was later reinvited by the festival but declined the invitation.[18]
John Cheney-Lippold's recommendation letter
editUniversity of Michigan associate professor of American culture John Cheney-Lippold declined to write a recommendation letter for a student applying to study abroad in Israel, citing human rights concerns and his support for the BDS movement:[19]
Abigail,
I am very sorry, but I only scanned your first email a couple weeks ago and missed out on a key detail:
As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine. This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there.
I should have let you know earlier, and for that I apologize. But for reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter. Let me know if you need me to write other letters for you, as I'd be happy,
John
A Zionist group shared the email on social media.[19] After critics called the letter to the student antisemitic, Cheney-Lippold said he supported BDS for human rights reasons and rejected antisemitism. Guidelines from PACBI say faculty "should not accept to write recommendations for students hoping to pursue studies in Israel".[20][21] 58 civil rights, religious, and education advocacy organizations called on the university to sanction Cheney-Lippold.[22]
The university disciplined Cheney-Lippold;[23] he was put on probation, had his pay cut, and had his subsequent vacation days cancelled,[24] and issued a statement that read in part:[25]
Withholding letters of recommendation based on personal views does not meet our university’s expectations for supporting the academic aspirations of our students. Conduct that violates this expectation and harms students will not be tolerated and will be addressed with serious consequences. Such actions interfere with our students' opportunities, violate their academic freedom and betray our university's educational mission.
The university and Mark Schlissel were criticized for disciplining Cheney-Lippold, citing a breach of free speech, the right to boycott, and professorial independence.[24][26]
2019
editTalib Kweli disinvite
editIn July, after the Open Source Festival in Düsseldorf disinvited the American rapper Talib Kweli for refusing to denounce the BDS movement, 103 artists, including Peter Gabriel, Naomi Klein and Boots Riley, signed an open letter condemning Germany's attempts to impose restrictions on artists who support Palestinian rights.[27]
Revocation of prize to Kamila Shamsie
editIn 2019, the judges for the Nelly Sachs Prize stripped the writer Kamila Shamsie of the prize after the German website Ruhrbarone pointed out her long-standing public support for the BDS movement.[28][29] The Dortmund City Council, the hosts of the award stated that[30]
Shamsie's political positioning to actively participate in the cultural boycott as part of the BDS (Boycott Disinvestment Sanctions) campaign against the Israeli government is clearly in contradiction to the statutory objectives of the award and the spirit of the Nelly Sachs Prize
In response to the withdrawal, Shamsie said[28]
In the just-concluded Israeli elections, Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to annex up to one third of the West Bank, in contravention of international law and his political opponent Benny Gantz’s objection to this was that Netanyahu had stolen his idea; this closely followed the killing of two Palestinian teenagers by Israeli forces – which was condemned as ‘appalling’ by the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. In this political context, the jury has chosen to withdraw the award from me on the basis of my support for a non-violent campaign to bring pressure on the Israeli government.
The decision to rescind her prize sparked an outcry within literary circles. In an open letter in the London Review of Books more than 250 prestigious authors protested the decision.[31]
Revocation of prize to Walid Raad
editIn 2019, the contemporary media artist Walid Raad won the German Aachen Art Prize but the prize was rescinded after he refused to denounce the BDS movement.[32]
Resignation after tweet critical of anti-BDS resolution
editIn 2019, the director of Berlin's Jewish Museum, Peter Schäfer, tweeted a link to an article that criticized a resolution recently passed by the German parliament that condemned the BDS movement as anti-Semitic. Following criticism from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Schäfer resigned.[33]
2020
editAppointment of Ilana Feldman as interim dean
editIn 2015, Professor Ilana Feldman at George Washington University led a campaign to have the American Anthropological Association, which she is a member of, endorse an academic boycott of Israel.[34] In 2020 she was appointed interim dean at the Elliott School of International Affairs, causing outrage among pro-Israel groups.[34] The campus group GW for Israel launched a petition calling for the university to remove Feldman which gathered over 1,200 signatures.[35]
Zionist organizations, including the Zionist Organization of America,[35] the AMCHA Initiative,[36] and Hillel International,[37] warned about the negative consequences her appointment would have.[37] Other organizations, including the pro-Palestinian Jewish Voice for Peace and Palestine Legal, and J Street U supported the university's decision.[37] Provost Brian Blake defended the appointment of Feldman.[35]
The School for Unlearning Zionism
editIn October 2020, a German university withdrew funding for a project called The School for Unlearning Zionism, initiated by a group of Jewish Israelis living in Berlin. The project included lectures by Israeli and Palestinian speakers as well as an art installation at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. The funding was used by the project for paying its speakers a fee of 100 euro each. According to one spokesperson for the university, the funding was withdrawn due to the projects alleged support of BDS and the anti-BDS resolution Germany passed in 2019. According to one of the project's founders, it had nothing to do with BDS.[38][39]
External links
editNotes and references
editNotes
editCitations
edit- ^ Tripp 2013, p. 125: the BDS organized urged 'various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law'
- ^ Ackerman 2016.
- ^ Maira 2018, p. 127.
- ^ The Tower 2015.
- ^ a b Norton 2016.
- ^ Grow 2015.
- ^ El País 2015.
- ^ Billboard 2015.
- ^ Rototom Sunsplash 2015.
- ^ Goldberg 2015.
- ^ LeVine 2015.
- ^ a b Friedman 2016.
- ^ a b c d Discrimination Prevention Office 2016.
- ^ Barrows-Friedman 2015.
- ^ Palestine Legal 2016.
- ^ Valero 2016.
- ^ Liphshiz 2018.
- ^ Oltermann 2018.
- ^ a b Redden 2018.
- ^ BBC 2018.
- ^ Silverstein 2018.
- ^ Slagter 2018.
- ^ Bandler 2018.
- ^ a b Kozlowski 2018.
- ^ Schiessel 2018.
- ^ Harb 2018.
- ^ the Guardian 2019.
- ^ a b Flood 2019.
- ^ Laurin 2019.
- ^ Al Jazeera 2019.
- ^ DW.COM 2019.
- ^ Greenberger 2019.
- ^ AFP 2019.
- ^ a b Middle East Monitor 2020.
- ^ a b c Kampeas 2020.
- ^ Bandler 2020.
- ^ a b c Weiss 2020.
- ^ The New Arab 2020.
- ^ Zonszein 2020.
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- Maira, Sunaina (2018). Boycott!: The Academy and Justice for Palestine. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-29489-9.
- Tripp, Charles (25 February 2013). The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80965-8.
News
edit- Ilana Feldman
- "Pro-Israel group fails to have BDS supporting professor removed". Middle East Monitor. May 18, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- Kampeas, Ron (May 15, 2020). "George Washington University stands by appointment of interim dean who backs boycott Israel movement". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- Bandler, Aaron (May 19, 2020). "GWU Condemns Anti-Semitism, BDS, Says Interim Dean 'Will Adhere to All of Our Policies'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- Weiss, Melissa (May 20, 2020). "GW University under fire for appointing BDS activist to head international affairs school". Jewish Insider. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- Kamila Shamsie
- "Writers protest revoking of Nelly Sachs Prize from Kamila Shamsie". DW.COM. September 26, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- Flood, Alison (September 19, 2019). "Kamila Shamsie's book award withdrawn over her part in Israel boycott". the Guardian. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- Laurin, Stefan (September 18, 2019). "Dortmund: No Nelly Sachs Prize for Kamila Shamsie because of BDS activities". Ruhrbarone. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Author Kamila Shamsie stripped of literary award over BDS support". Al Jazeera. September 18, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- Walid Raad
- Greenberger, Alex (October 1, 2019). "Walid Raad Won't Receive German Art Prize After Alleged BDS Support". Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- Peter Schäfer
- "Berlin Jewish Museum head quits after controversial tweet". France 24. June 14, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- Young Fathers
- Oltermann, Philip (June 26, 2018). "Young Fathers disinvited and then reinvited by German arts festival". the Guardian. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- UAW Local 2865
- Ackerman, Karen (January 28, 2016). "Solidarity with UAW Local 2865".
- "United Auto Workers Reject Boycott of Israel". December 17, 2015. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
- Norton, Ben (25 January 2016). "With help of corporate law firm, small pro-Israel group derails historic UAW union vote endorsing boycott". Salon.
- The School for Unlearning Zionism
- "German university withdraws funding for Israelis looking to 'unlearn Zionism'". alaraby. October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- Zonszein, Mairav (October 21, 2020). "Berlin art college withdraws funding to Israelis seeking to unlearn Zionism". +972 Magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- Rototom Sunsplash
- Grow, Kory (August 17, 2015). "Matisyahu Kicked Off Festival Over Palestinian Politics". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- "Unacceptable discrimination". El País. August 18, 2015. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- "Spanish Official Condemn Matisyahu Cancellation". Billboard. 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- "A Rototom Sunsplash public institutional declaration regarding Matisyahu". Rototomsunsplash.com. 2015-08-19. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- Goldberg, J.J. (August 21, 2015). "How Matisyahu Ban Backfired on BDS Backers". The Forward. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- LeVine, Mark (August 23, 2015). "Should Matisyahu play at a peace festival?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- The Milan Chatterjee affair
- "CONFIDENTIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT" (PDF).
- Friedman, Gabe (September 18, 2016). "Indian-American student becomes pro-Israel symbol for trying to stay neutral". The Times of Israel. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- Barrows-Friedman, Nora (2015-12-07). "UCLA student groups face funding cuts over Israel divestment". The Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- Valero, Jorge (April 13, 2016). "GSA forum to present charges against President Milan Chatterjee". Daily Bruin. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- "Setting the Facts Straight Re UCLA GSA President". Palestine Legal. September 7, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- John Cheney-Lippold
- Redden, Elizabeth (September 19, 2018). "Professor cites boycott of Israeli universities in declining to write recommendation letter for student". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- "US professor in Israel boycott row". BBC News. September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Slagter, Martin (September 25, 2018). "Jewish groups want University of Michigan to sanction professor". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Silverstein, Jason (September 18, 2018). "University of Michigan professor refuses to write letter for student to study abroad in Israel". CBS News. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Schiessel, Mark (October 9, 2018). "Letter: Important questions around issues of personal beliefs, our responsibilities as educators, and anti-Semitism". Office of the President. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Bandler, Aaron (October 10, 2018). "U Mich Disciplines Professor Who Denied Rec Letter to Student Studying in Israel". Jewish Journal. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Kozlowski, Kim (October 10, 2018). "UM disciplines prof over Israel letter controversy". Detroit News. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Harb, Ali (October 25, 2018). "University of Michigan faces mounting criticism over BDS controversy". Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- Talib Kweli
- "Talib Kweli's removal from festival lineup is part of anti-Palestinian censorship trend". The Guardian. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- Brian Eno
- Liphshiz, Cnaan (September 14, 2018). "German festival disinvites Brian Eno for calling to boycott Israel". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved December 5, 2020.