In the spirit of international solidarity and resistance to injustice and oppression, the Indian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel calls upon you and all fellow Indians to comprehensively and consistently boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions.

PACBI Editorial

Respecting BDS Guidelines: Self Determination and International Solidarity

In the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), we often face criticism from people who wish to stand in solidarity with Palestinians without respecting the boycott guidelines set by Palestinian civil society.  Setting guidelines, the argument goes, is too restrictive and rigid, alienating the liberal mainstream from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.  The alternative proposed by some is to let everyone decide how he or she wants to implement BDS, thus allowing for maximum flexibility and growth for the movement.  We are specifically criticized for insisting that internationals and Israelis who wish to support our struggle against Israel’s apartheid and colonial oppression must take their lead from the oppressed—in this case, the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), of which PACBI is a small but critical part.

The issue of double standards arises in some cases when one considers how academics, cultural figures and others had no qualms during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa to take their lead from the anti-apartheid leadership in that country, whereas now, they are calling into question whether Palestinians should set boycott principles or not.