As the BDS movement continues to grow at a fast pace, many activists around the world, including in Palestine, often wonder what institution or corporation to target and how. Whether it is an academic, cultural, economic, sports or other BDS campaign, selecting the boycott or divestment target is often not as straightforward as many may think, particularly if the overall BDS strategy of mainstreaming is taken into consideration. Here we focus on cultural and academic boycott targets specifically.
 

[This letter was sent privately to Neil Young weeks ago with no response]

Dear Neil Young,

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Palestine, has learned that you reportedly plan to perform in Israel on 10 June 2014 [1].  We are writing to urge you to refrain from playing in apartheid Israel and not to condone Israel’s violations of international law and human rights against the Palestinian people.  We wrote you previously, in 2007 [2], after hearing of similar plans, and back then you did not play in Israel.  We ho

The month of January has seen a burst of energy on the academic and cultural front of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement with worldwide and mainstream media attention.  BDS news has been covered in the Washington Post, Financial Times, Bloomberg, New York Times, CNN, and other media where BDS advocates have previously been ignored or censored.  The world is beginning to understand that Israel cannot be treated with exception while it continues to violate international law, and that criticism and resistance against Israel&rsquo