The boycott divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign initiated by Palestinian civil society has been gaining strength since its launch in 2005. The aim of BDS is to pressure companies, universities and governments to cut ties with the apartheid state of Israel. It is an international campaign that has had many victories around the world.

Artists such as Elvis Costello, Snoop Dogg, Meg Ryan and Roger Waters have all refused to perform in Israel. Companies such as Alstom, the French transport multinational, lost a US$10 billion contract in Saudi Arabia.