Dear Activist,
Last month, Congress held its first-ever hearing on the Palestinian-led campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) in support of Palestinian rights. BDS is an international call to boycott Israeli institutions and corporations that profit from the oppression of the Palestinian people. However, Congress didn’t invite a single Palestinian or BDS organizer to speak about the movement.
Take action: Sign our petition urging Congress to hold a new, balanced hearing that includes BDS supporters. We’ve teamed up on this campaign with other groups like the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, American Muslims for Palestine and more.
Congress could have invited to the hearing...
- A member of the Palestinian BDS National Committee to talk about global support for BDS;
- The president of the American Studies Association on its support for the academic boycott of Israel;
- The head of the United Church of Christ to explain its decision to divest from corporations that profit from Israeli occupation.
Instead, the hearing featured anti-BDS witnesses including the CEO of SodaStream, Daniel Birnbaum. SodaStream is a company based in an illegal Israeli settlement, which is one of the primary corporate targets of BDS campaigns. The only positive part of Birnbaum's testimony was when he outlined how successful our Stop SodaStream boycott has been! More details about the Congressional hearing about BDS can be found in an article written by Josh Ruebner in The Hill.
Please take a moment to sign our petition to Congress asking for a second BDS hearing!
In solidarity,
Medea, Alli, Mike, Michaela, and Tighe
