Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

A BDS demonstration, with anti-BDS protesters nearer the camera, outside the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, April 2017 Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its stated objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations under international law, which it defines as withdrawal from the occupied territories, removal of the separation barrier in the West Bank, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promotion of "the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties".

The movement is organized and coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee. BDS is modeled after the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Supporters describe it as a human rights movement and compare Palestinians' situation under Israeli policies to that of black South Africans under apartheid. Protests and conferences in support of the movement have been held in several countries.