[A boycott how-to is below this powerful statement. -Eds.]
Statement in Solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza and with seekers of freedom and justice world-wide
As Palestinian, indigenous, women of color, anti-racist, and Jewish feminists involved in a range of social justice struggles, we strongly condemn the current massacre of the Palestinians of Gaza and affirm our support for and commitment to the growing international movement for a free Palestine and for racial justice, equality, and freedom for all.
As many of us know from time spent in Palestine and in other movements for justice, the connections between the movement for a free Palestine and anti-colonial struggles for self-determination throughout the world are inextricable.
The current Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in more than 1900 Palestinian deaths, including over 450 children; the displacement of up to 25% of the population; and the destruction of crucial infrastructure such as sanitation, hospitals, and schools. We condemn and are horrified by the current acts of Israeli brutality, while also recognizing the deeply rooted and ongoing violence that Palestinians are forced to endure on a daily basis — for example, living in ghetto-like conditions in Gaza, systematically having land confiscated, being deprived of their livelihoods, collective punishment, gender and racial violence, and ongoing expulsion and displacement from the Nakba until today.
An extensive prison system bolsters the occupation and suppresses resistance. Over 5,000 Palestinians are locked inside Israeli prisons; more than 200 are children. There is ongoing criminalization of their political activity.
We believe in the critical importance, now more than ever, of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions call for Israel to 1) End its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall; 2) Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3) Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194. The purpose of the BDS campaigns is to pressure Israeli state-sponsored institutions to adhere to international law, basic human rights, and democratic principles as a condition for just and equitable social relations.
We stand with the Palestinian community and with activists all over the world in condemning the flagrant injustices of the current Israeli massacre against the Palestinians of Gaza; the land, air, and sea blockade of Gaza; and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
We call for an end to US military aid, at more than 3 billion a year, for the Israeli state and its occupation.
We call upon all people of conscience to stand with Palestine and to join the worldwide actions in which communities and civil society are stepping up in critical ways. We recognize that all our struggles for social, racial, gender, and economic justice and for self-determination are deeply interconnected and can only gain strength and power from one another. As Audre Lorde taught us, “When we can arm ourselves with the strength and vision from all our diverse communities then we will in truth all be free at last.”
Ujju Aggarwal, INCITE!; New School for Social Research
Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University
Bina Ahmad, National Lawyers Guild
Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley
Linda Carty, Syracuse University
Ayoka Chenzira, Artist and Filmmaker
Angela Davis, University of California, Santa Cruz
Gina Dent, University of California, Santa Cruz
Zillah Eisenstein, Anti-Racist Feminist Scholar, Activist, Writer
Eve Ensler, Writer, Activist, Founder of V-Day and One Billion Rising
G. Melissa Garcia, Dickinson College
Anna Guevarra, University of Illinois at Chicago
Lisa Kahaleole Hall, Wells College
bell hooks, Feminist critic and writer
Suad Joseph, University of California, Davis
J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Wesleyan University
Nada Khader, WESPAC Foundation
Mona Khalidi, Columbia University
Reem Khamis-Dakwar, Adelphi University
Nancy Kricorian, Writer
Amina Mama, University of California, Davis
Hannah Mermelstein, Adalah-NY; Librarians and Archivists with Palestine
Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University
Nadine Naber, University of Illinois, Chicago
Premilla Nadasen, Barnard College
Donna Nevel, Jews Say No!; Nakba Education Project, US
Dana Olwan, Syracuse University
Barbara Ransby, University of Illinois at Chicago
Beverly Guy Sheftall, Author, Atlanta, Georgia
Kimberly M. Tallbear, University of Texas, Austin
Rebecca Vilkomerson, Jewish Voice for Peace
Alice Walker, Writer and Activist
Editors: Here’s a list of “optimal” items to boycott to help end Israel occupation:
- Jaffa citrus fruits
- Golan Heights Wine
- Sabra Hummus
- Medjool Dates
- Eden Springs Water
- Dorot Garlic and Herbs, Israeli Cous Cous and Pastures of Eden Feta (found at Trader Joes)
- Tribe Humus
- Yes to Carrots
- Sara Lee bakery items
- Coca Cola: includes Dr Pepper, Fanta, Fruitopia, Kia Ora, Lilt, Sprite, Sunkist, Schweppes, Dasani Water, Nestea, Fresca, Tab
- Victoria’s Secret
- Sara Lee: Hanes, Playtex, Champion, Leggs, Wonderbra
- Naot shoes
- Delta Galil Industries: Gap, J-Crew, J.C. Penny, Calvin Klein, Playtex, Victoria’s Secret, DIM, Donna Karan / DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Playtex, Calvin Klein (cK), Hugo Boss, Banana Republic, Structure
- L’Oreal / The Body Shop
- Estee Lauder
- Ahava cosmetics
- Dead Sea Cosmetics
- Hewlett Packard
(Resources: here, here, and here)
And here’s info on “Buycott,” a phone app to help do more consumer boycotting.
As the campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions writes, “The consumer boycott is beginning to bite, too: a fifth of Israeli exporters reported a drop in demand as a result of the boycott in the wake of the Gaza massacre.”
One more thing: here are links on how to engage in academic boycott, consumer boycott, cultural boycott, and press for divestments and sanctions.