BDS plans wider boycott to back Palestinians' resistance

The international movement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) has announced plans to expand its anti-Israeli boycott, Press TV reports.

The move, which comes amid the ongoing Palestinian uprising against Israel, has raised concerns among authorities in the Tel Aviv regime as the BDS has badly affected the Israeli economy.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement believes that “the current wave of protest is against the apartheid regime, racism, and the military occupation. Palestinians have a right to use the methods they believe are appropriate and the BDS movement is part of this resistance and struggle,” BDS spokesperson Mahmoud Nawaja told Press TV.

He added that the BDS is working on several projects to “escalate the boycotts in the [occupied] Palestinian territories as well.”

Some Israeli companies have said in response to the BDS that they also have Palestinian workers among their laborers. Activists have, however, slammed the reaction as a ploy to deceive the international community.

“This is one of Israel’s attempts to make the international community withdraw from the BDS movement. They seek to keep themselves free from charges against them for breaking international law, as they are manufacturing products in illegal settlements. They have already created a ministry to combat the boycott,” said political analyst Jihad Harb.

Israeli media said earlier this year that a report by the Israeli finance ministry shows the regime could lose up to USD 10.5 billion per year if a full international boycott is adopted.

The BDS Movement is a global campaign which uses economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with the goals of the movement -- the end of Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian land particularly through illegal settlement constructions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The movement against the Tel Aviv regime began in July 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations, calling for “various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law.”

More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank including East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in 1967.

BDS plan to widen its boycott comes as tensions in the occupied territories have dramatically escalated in recent weeks due to Israeli regime’s imposition of restrictions in August on the entry of Palestinian worshipers to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds. Around 82 Palestinians and at least 11 Israeli have been killed in the recent clashes.

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