Boycott campaign accuses PA of 'breaking the isolation' of Israel

A senior representative of the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel has accused the Palestinian Authority of working to break the isolation of Israel internationally by arresting activists in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Omar Al-Barghouthi told a press conference on Sunday that the campaign has achieved international successes in boycotting, isolating and showing hostility towards Israel. “In return,” he said, “the Palestinian security forces are arresting campaign activists in Ramallah and bringing them before the courts.”

Al-Barghouthi pointed out that Palestinian security officials had arrested four activists on April 12 and, he claimed, beat them during their protest against a show that was performed by Indian band Kathak. The band had performed in Tel Aviv, he said, and this is considered to be a violation of the boycott approved by Palestinian civil society.

“When a Palestinian official says we do not want to show hostility towards Israel,” he explained, “then the security services arrest four activists, we say that this does not represent the Palestinian people who show open hostility towards Israel and want to isolate it.” Despite what is being practiced by Israel, including the fighting and the hostility against the campaign in all the countries of the world, the Palestinian Authority was the first to arrest a BDS activist, he pointed out. He accused the PA of cutting the boycott chain around Israel.

The Palestinian security services released the four activists on bail several days after their arrest; their trial has been set for May 28.

Activist Fadi Qar’an told the assembled journalists that the BDS campaign has made great progress in creating international hostility towards Israel and caused it to suffer many international losses. He noted the losses of Israeli companies as a result of the international boycott. Israel, he added, has allocated 100 million shekels (about $28.7 million) to fight the campaign internationally; the struggle has already begun in several countries.

“The Israeli prime minister told a meeting of pro-Israel lobbyists in the United States several months ago that the boycott campaign is the second most prominent threat to Israel after the Iranian nuclear programme,” claimed Qar’an.

He pointed out that Israel is making use of the criminalisation of the BDS activists by the Palestinian Authority for propaganda-related purposes around the world, as it seeks to receive international bands and artists to perform in Israel and the Palestinian territories to break its isolation. The PA is collaborating with Israel in this effort.

At the end of the press conference, the activists called for complaints filed against the campaigners to be dropped and demanded an official apology from the PA Ministry of Culture. Those who beat-up the activists, it was argued, should be prosecuted.

The protest against the performance by Kathak took place at Cinema Casbah in Ramallah. Activists tried to shout down the band but were prevented from doing so by Palestinian security officials. The Ministry of Culture said in a statement that the activists “insulted and beat the audience”. This was denied by the BDS campaigners, who presented a video recording of the incident, in which the security men were seen attacking the activists as they boycotted the show.

The BDS movement was established in 2005 in the Palestinian territories, with a membership of about 170 Palestinian institutions. Activities take place in member states of the European Union and several other countries around the world.