Boycott from Within
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BOYCOTT! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, commonly known as Boycott from Within, is an association of
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
is who support the
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations ...
(BDS) movement. Founded in 2008, it describes itself as following the guiding principles and sharing the goals of the Palestinian BDS movement, as delineated by Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).


Views and strategy

The members of Boycott from Within describe themselves as “Palestinians, Jews, citizens of Israel,” who “join the
Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
call for a BDS campaign against Israel, inspired by the struggle of
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
ns against apartheid,” and who are “devoted to the promotion of just peace and true democracy in this region.” They disapprove of “Western governments' decision to boycott the Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” which they characterize as “particularly outrageous given the same Western governments' prolonged support of Israel's apartheid and other daily violations of international law.”


Leading members


Ronnie Barkan

Ronnie Barkan, a longtime Jewish Israeli activist and math teacher who was raised in Raanana, near
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, is a co-founder of Boycott from Within. He has been involved since 2004 in protests against the Israeli barrier in the
West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
and has been arrested and detained a number of times. In a 2012 interview with journalist Ceclia Dalla Negra of ''The Electronic Intifada'', he expressed his belief that Palestinian resistance should be focused on being a “popular struggle rather than a nonviolent one,” but added that “as long as Israel and its backers use means of terror against the Palestinian civil population, then we cannot legally and should not morally condemn those fighting for their liberation from doing so.” Barkan has described himself as “among the group of the over-privileged in this struggle for Palestinian rights, acting against a system that has at its very core the Zionist principle of differentiation.” He describes the Israeli treatment of Palestinians as apartheid, identifies himself as “anti-Zionist,” and refers to Israel as “the Jewish-supremacist entity...founded on the basis of ethnic cleansing and ethnic segregation.” Barkan has been described as having evaded mandatory service in the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(IDF). He himself has said that he refused to complete his mandatory military service. “There's a lot of social pressure
n Israel N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
” he told ''
Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'' in 2011. “We're raised to be soldiers from kindergarten. We're taught that it's our duty o serve in the armyand you're a parasite or traitor if you don't want to serve.” He said that Israelis “are raised to be deeply racist,” and described his support for BDS as a means of “renouncing my privileges in this land and insisting on equality for all.” He does not, however, support the turning away of Israeli academics or musicians from conferences or other gatherings abroad because they are Israelis, saying that such conduct amounts to racism. The Israel Security Agency investigators interrogated Barkan in the run-up to the 2012 “flytilla.” In 2010, Barkan represented the Palestinian Popular Struggle Coordination Committee at the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
.


Kobi Snitz

Another Boycott from Within activist, Kobi Snitz, is a mathematician employed by the
Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...
in
Rehovot Rehovot ( he, רְחוֹבוֹת ''Rəḥōvōt'', ar, رحوڤوت ''Reḥūfūt'') is a city in the Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu movement, ...
. Snitz is also a longtime member of
Anarchists Against the Wall Anarchists Against the Wall (AAtW), ( he, אנרכיסטים נגד גדרות) sometimes called "Anarchists Against Fences" or "Jews Against Ghettos", is a direct action group composed of Israeli anarchists and anti-authoritarians who oppose the ...
who has demonstrated alongside Palestinian villagers protesting the West Bank fence for many years. In addition, he has close connections to the Palestine Solidarity Project. Imprisoned in 2004 for interfering with security policies, he was summoned by
Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...
for questioning in 2010, at which time Shin Bet told ''Haaretz'' that it possessed “information indicating that Dr. Kobi Snitz is involved in organizing illegal gatherings and illegal entry into restricted military zones in the West Bank.”


Leehee Rothschild

Boycott from Within member Leehee Rothschild’s Tel Aviv apartment was raided and she was detained in 2011. “Obviously he pressureis nothing compared to what Palestinians are going through,” Rothschild told ''Al-Jazeera''. “But I think we're touching a nerve.” She said that if the Boycott Law, then under consideration, were passed, “it will peel off, a little more, Israel's mask of democracy.” She described the Israeli people, moreover, as being themselves “oppressed by the occupation – they are living inside a society that is militant; that is violent; that is racist.”


Ofer Neiman

Ofer Neiman is one of the leaders of Boycott from Within. In July 2010, he spoke with ''Between The Lines''’ Melinda Tuhus about the group, saying that “if Israel had accepted the Saudi Initiative – which is not just a Saudi initiative, it's an initiative by the Arab League, a comprehensive peace initiative based on the two-state solution and the '67 borders, then there would be no BDS campaign.”


Interventions with celebrities and corporations

*In 2010, Boycott from Within successfully called for the rock band ''
The Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering ...
'' to boycott Israeli. “Are you ready to perform in Tel Aviv,” the organization asked in an open letter to the band, “when right in front of you millions of people are suffocating under a cruel Israeli military regime that denies them basic human rights?” *Boycott from Within took credit for successfully convincing French pop star
Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single "Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's hig ...
to cancel a planned 2011 performance in Israel. In a letter to Paradis, the group urged her “to take this opportunity to take a stand on an issue crucial to human rights and as such, to human lives as well.” Describing the
Israeli Army The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
as “control ingeveryday Palestinian life, at the barrel of a gun,” and as having spent “over 60 years...murdering, maiming, arresting civilians, all the while stealing their lands by extreme and brutal force,” the letter said that if Paradis performed in Israel “it will have the effect of contributing to Israel’s image of normality” and of “allow ngthe state of Israel to use your reputation to whitewash its crimes!” *Boycott from Within has also targeted
British Telecom BT Group plc (trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-line, b ...
for its business relationship with Israeli company
Bezeq Bezeq ( he, בזק) is an Israeli telecommunications company. Bezeq and its subsidiaries offer a range of telecom services, including fixed-line, mobile telephony, high-speed Internet, transmission, and pay TV (via Yes). History Bezeq was foun ...
. *Boycott from Within joined forces with the Indian BDS group InCACBI to protest the involvement of Israel’s
Cameri Theatre The Cameri Theater ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri theater was foun ...
in the Delhi International Arts Festival in November 2012. *Boycott from Within took part in an unsuccessful effort by a broad-based group of BDS activists to persuade the
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
to cancel a 2012 performance in Tel Aviv. *Boycott from Within unsuccessfully petitioned organizers of London’s 2012 Globe to Globe Shakespeare festival to cancel a performance by Israel’s national theater company,
Habima The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the center of Tel Aviv. Histor ...
. The company was invited to stage ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...
'' as part of a series of performances of 37
Shakespeare plays Shakespeare's plays are a canon of approximately 39 dramatic works written by English poet, playwright, and actor William Shakespeare. The exact number of plays—as well as their classifications as tragedy, history, comedy, or otherwise—is a ...
, each performed in a different language by a different theater group.


Criticism by Netanyahu

In an August 2010 speech to the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
denounced the Boycott From Within movement as a “national scandal.”


See also

*
BDS movement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations ...


References

{{Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycotts of Israel 2008 establishments in Israel Organizations established in 2008 Anti-Zionism in Israel