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Fathom Highlight: BDS or conflict resolution? / 08 November / 2014

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is the subject of this week’s Fathom Highlight.

BDS ignores a key principle of conflict-resolution: severing economic ties between parties in conflict risks perpetuating the conflict. So argues Sapan Maini-Thompson. ‘BDS will only worsen the economic disparities between Israelis and Palestinians,’ and so ‘endanger a peaceful settlement.’

Andrei S. Markovits of the University of Michigan reviews an important new collection of essays The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel.

Our Voice of the Week features a conversation with the leader of Israel’s Labour Party, Isaac Herzog, at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Forum, 5 December 2014.

Our Image of the Week shows Palestinians celebrating the lighting of the Christmas tree in the West Bank city of Ramallah, 7 December 2014. Photo by STR/Flash90.

BDS vs. conflict-resolution

by Sapan Maini-Thompson

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement ignores a key principle of conflict-resolution: severing economic ties risks perpetuating political conflict. According to the Portland Trust, the respected non-for-profit British foundation committed to encouraging peace and stability between Palestinians and Israelis through economic development, ‘the overarching economic lesson from Bosnia and Herzegovina is that the structure of the political settlement controls the nature of the post-conflict economy.’ The Trust points out that it is vital the political solution ‘is structured in...

Voice of the Week

Image of the Week

Book Review | The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel
by Andrei S. Markovits

The editors deserve major kudos for having compiled an impressive anthology featuring contributions in opposition to the deeply sordid, yet potentially potent, Boycott, Divestment and...

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