Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions
A movement for the human rights of Palestinians
What is BDS?
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for peace, justice, and the recognition of human rights. BDS has made significant strides in bringing international awareness to Israel’s military occupation of Palestine in the years since its launch, inspired by the same call to boycott that brought an end to apartheid in South Africa.
Why BDS?
Since its founding, the State of Israel has repeatedly violated international law, facing condemnation from the UN for their openly discriminatory practices and policies. Several peaceful attempts to bring peace and justice to the Palestinian people over the years have amounted to nothing, while Israel continues its expansion of settlements into the West Bank and its relentless blockade on Gaza. The action of boycotting has been historically proven to be an effective tool for fighting against injustice.
BDS and Arizona
In 2016, Governor Doug Ducey signed HB 2617 into law. The statute of this bill states that the State of Arizona cannot “contract with a company… unless the contract includes a written certification that the company is not currently engaged in, and agrees for the duration of the contract to not engage in, a boycott of Israel. ”
In 2019, a federal court found that this piece of legislation violated the First Amendment. While similar anti-boycott bills have been ruled unconstitutional by federal judges in Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, and several other states, legislators in Arizona have still passed an amended version of this legislation.