Overview
The BDS movement is building an economic boycott of Israel and developing effective campaigns against companies that participate in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
International companies aid and abet Israel’s violations of international law, including by operating in illegal Israeli settlements and acting as contractors for the Israeli military and government.
Campaigning has led to major companies such as Veolia and Orange selling up and leaving Israel altogether and a range of investors divesting from Israeli and international companies.
The UN, the World Bank, and other experts say that BDS is having a significant economic impact on Israel and that this could well grow as the movement develops.
Economic and corporate support for Israeli apartheid
The economic boycott of Israel aims to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law and to persuade private companies to end their participation in Israel’s crimes.
The Israeli economy heavily depends on international trade and investment, making it particularly susceptible to global economic boycotts. Many international companies, such as G4S and HP, profit from helping Israel maintain its system of apartheid and settler colonialism. Campaigns against and divestment from international companies increase the pressure on them to end their complicity with Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
Business as usual economic relations with Israel give it a green light for further violations of international law. They also provide the government with tax revenue it uses to maintain its oppression of Palestinians.
The Israeli economy significantly depends on international trade and investment, making it especially susceptible to international economic boycotts.
The BDS movement calls for a boycott of all Israeli products to build economic pressure on Israel. To maximize our impact, we focus our efforts on a small number of companies and products closely linked to Israeli violations of international law. Check out our What to Boycott page for more information.
Many Israeli companies play a direct role in Israel’s violations of international law, meaning that any business relationship with them is a form of direct support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
For example, Israeli fresh produce exporters such as Mehadrin and Hadiklaim take part in the theft of Palestinian land. Therefore, any purchases of their products help fund Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians. In addition to asking consumers not to buy these products, we successfully campaigned for retailers to stop selling them.
International corporations play a key role in enabling Israel’s regime of apartheid and settler colonialism. They provide the equipment, services, and infrastructure that help Israel to oppress Palestinians.
For example:
G4S - provides security services and equipment to the Israeli government and military, including to prisons where Palestinian political prisoners are held and subjected to torture.
Hewlett Packard - provides the systems that run the ID card system that Israel uses to restrict Palestinian movement.
Caterpillar - provides armoured bulldozers and other equipment used to demolish Palestinian homes. BDS campaigning against international companies can have a real impact. Major European companies Veolia, Orange, and CRH have all exited the Israeli market after high-profile campaigns over their participation in Israel’s crimes.
In February, Norway’s $1.6 trillion oil fund divested entirely from Israel Bonds, pulling what remained of its investments at the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Leading Norwegian trade union BDS partners had campaigned for years on this issue.
