A picture is worth a thousand words — or in this case, a thousand lies. Or, in this case, a thousand reasons to fuel the BDS campaign in the United States: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions.
As a professional photographer, I know that the person behind the lens doesn’t just capture the story, they control it. Every crop is a decision. Every object in the frame is a deliberate layer. Every angle sends a message. What you choose to show and what you intentionally leave out matters. Photography can illuminate truth. But it can just as easily be weaponized to obscure it.
That’s exactly what’s happening in Gaza.
A recent exposé by <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-863454#google_vignette">German outlet</a> BILD revealed that Gaza-based photographer Anas Zayed Fatiyeh has been staging scenes of suffering — intentionally using women and children — to manufacture strong emotions and propaganda on behalf of Hamas. These aren’t candid moments of human agony; they are carefully choreographed images designed to deceive.
One of Fatiyeh’s photos recently went viral after being amplified by The New York Times and millions of influencers. It showed a severely malnourished Gazan child wearing a trash bag, with headlines claiming Israel was “starving” civilians. The image is heartbreaking, and the suffering is real — but the story was false. The child had severe congenital conditions, including cerebral palsy. A healthy child who appears to be a sibling, not in a trash bag but in normal clothing, standing right beside them, was deliberately cropped out of the frame.
<div id="attachment_959399" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-959399" class="size-large wp-image-959399" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225506182-864x576.jpg" alt="GAZA CITY, GAZA - JULY 21: Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a 1.5-year-old child in Gaza City, Gaza, faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade, on July 21, 2025. Having dropped from 9 to 6 kilograms, he struggles to survive in a tent in Gaza City, where milk, food, and other basic necessities are lacking. Suzan Marouf, a clinical nutrition specialist at Patient Friend’s Hospital, confirmed that Mohammad’s condition worsened due to severe malnutrition caused by the ongoing Israeli siege. When his family brought him to the hospital a month ago, doctors diagnosed him with moderate malnutrition in addition to pre-existing congenital health issues, including brain complications and muscle atrophy. Marouf said they had been trying to stabilize Mohammad’s condition using the last remaining nutritional supplements. &quot;The medical issues he had weren’t significantly affecting his weight,&quot; she noted. (Photo by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225506182-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225506182-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225506182-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225506182.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images</div>
This wasn’t journalism. It was another example of deliberately distorting reality to cast Israel as the perpetrator and Hamas as the victim. It is visual DARVO: Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.
And it didn’t happen in a vacuum. This isn’t organic outrage, it’s narrative warfare and has been going on for decades, executed in stages, and the formula works: 
First, Hamas-approved photographers stage the shot. Then, mainstream outlets from The New York Times to the BBC buy and publish the images from the Hamas-approved photographer, giving them global legitimacy. BDS accounts flood social media with them, stripped of context but supercharged with moral outrage. By the time real developments emerge — like hostage videos showing real famine, or footage of Evyatar David, intentionally starved (a war crime) and forced to dig his own grave — the emotional groundwork is already in place. The narrative then takes root, outrage explodes, and blame shifts automatically to Israel. The cherry on top? Destabilization in the West.
That’s exactly what happened here. The manufactured image became the emotional climax of a months-long BDS campaign blitz accusing Israel of engineering famine while conveniently omitting a critical fact: it was the United Nations, not Israel, that paused aid deliveries, leaving nearly 1,000 humanitarian trucks stalled inside Gaza.
What didn’t go viral? Over 100 million meals have been delivered into Gaza in the last two months alone — facilitated by Israel and the U.S. through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. That’s not the behavior of a genocidal regime. That’s a sovereign nation defending itself under relentless rocket fire, still upholding humanitarian obligations in the middle of war.
<div id="attachment_959405" style="width: 881px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-959405" class="size-large wp-image-959405" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2226561585-871x576.jpg" alt="A C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft drops humanitarian aid on the northern Gaza Strip on July 27, 2025. Two Jordanian and one Emirati plane drop 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip, Jordanian state television reports on July 27, 2025. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" width="871" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2226561585-871x576.jpg 871w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2226561585-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2226561585-768x508.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2226561585.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px" />Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images</div>
Hamas understands something many in the West still don’t: visual storytelling wields more power than words. In a media landscape where lies spread six times faster than truth, where content goes viral without verification, and where movements are built on emotion instead of evidence, a single image — especially of a child in pain or, worse, a child’s death — can shape global perception before truth even enters the conversation. Even when the image is staged, or the child is tragically yet intentionally sacrificed by Hamas, the emotional impact overwhelms reality. And once the narrative takes hold, the truth rarely catches up.
This visual manipulation metastasizes. In the United States, Hamas’s propaganda becomes the lifeblood and oxygen of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. While Hamas wages physical war, BDS attacks the American mind.
You’ve likely seen BDS content without realizing it: polished Instagram carousels calling for “genocide” strikes, petitions demanding economic boycotts, and blacklists of “Zionist businesses.” But make no mistake, this is not a grassroots cry for peace. BDS was conceived under the Iranian regime, shaped by Soviet propaganda, and codified at the 2001 Durban Conference — a supposed anti-racism summit that devolved into open antisemitism, casting Israel as the world’s pariah. Officially launched in 2005, BDS has since infiltrated nearly every legacy institution in the West and thrives on the most powerful algorithms and most naive influencers online.
BDS is a sophisticated, well-funded Trojan horse cloaked in Western progressive language: feminism, decolonization, intersectionality, liberation theology. These ideals have been hijacked and funneled into unlikely arenas. <a href="https://coachingindustryglobalstrike.com">Wellness coaches</a> are calling for BDS strikes. Interior design accounts are boycotting Jewish businesses. Predatory marketing influencers like Jenna Kutcher are raising money for <a href="https://ngo-monitor.org/ngos/palestine_children_s_relief_fund_ohio_/">NGOs</a> that historically have documented ties to Hamas. The publishing industry is boycotting <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9u0y4uJsSG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">Jewish authors</a>. And even ex-country music singer turned social justice crusader <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/a2tolfsarb64bn18gm25c/Maren-Morris-BDS-Rosenheck-Op-ed.jpg?rlkey=o7c7kz48huni79qvjz0p1psm7&amp;dl=0">Maren Morris</a> is resharing BDS propaganda on her Instagram stories. Many of these voices have unknowingly become messengers for Hamas.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-959415 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-11-Aug-2025-10-00-AM-5432-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></div>
Credit: @marenmorris/Instagram
I’ve seen their playbooks firsthand. Last year, I was part of the effort to stop a BDS resolution in Nashville and sifted through hundreds of BDS Google Drive toolkits used to <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x8ggtgx3tzafjvozy650g/STOP-GAZA-GENOCIDE_-Ceasefire-Now-Public-Toolkit-copy.docx?rlkey=gg6u3uoy93b0l5ipfkw9yvr9u&amp;dl=0">orchestrate pressure campaigns.</a> These documents detail everything from how to birddog politicians, <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15XripiWh5HoaNwLkPz05xrF2OJ-Yd6NVt3THLrNxLsE/edit?usp=sharing">chant slogans in English and Arabic,</a> manipulate marginalized groups, and weaponize emotional language to win public opinion — along with legal contacts for when the chaos inevitably leads to arrests.
The manipulation works. We’ve created a culture where a staged photo can do more to radicalize a high school student at a private school that costs $30k/year than any speech from a terrorist leader. And the consequences are measurable: Antisemitism isn’t just rising, it&#8217;s raging. The Anti-Defamation League reports 46% of the global population harbors antisemitic beliefs. That means nearly every other person you pass on the street or follow online holds some form of hatred toward Jews or Israel.
Let’s stop pretending this is accidental. It is deliberate. It is dangerous. And it is working.
I believe in the power of photography. I’ve dedicated my life to it. When done with integrity, photography is one of the most powerful tools we have to build bridges, evoke empathy, and humanize differences. But when photography is used as a weapon of propaganda, it becomes a tool of destruction, of truth, of peace, and of human dignity.
This is a wake-up call — not just for journalists, producers, and editors, but for every one of us who consumes media. We must ask: Who is behind this image? What’s their agenda? What’s being shown and what’s being deliberately left out? Does this content amount to material support for a foreign terrorist organization — a felony under U.S. law? Where is the line, and who is drawing it?
If we don’t start applying discernment, we become complicit in a system designed to manipulate us. We become pawns in a game played by those who seek not peace, but power.
You can either be used by Hamas propaganda, or you can reject it. You can either fall for the illusion or you can insist on the truth, no matter how complex or uncomfortable.
Photography shapes memory. It shapes morality. And right now, it&#8217;s being used to distort both.
* * *
Alyssa Rosenheck is a bestselling author and named by Architectural Digest as one of the top photographers in the U.S. Through her forthcoming book White. Blonde. Jew. (Spring 2026) and firsthand experience on post-war delegations to Israel, she confronts modern antisemitism while inspiring truth-tellers and cultural clarity.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Malnourished toddler in Gaza fights for life amid ongoing Israeli attacks

How Hamas Photo Propaganda Dupes The West And Fuels BDS

Boycott Divest Sanction

Gaza

Hamas

Israel

Legacy Media

New York Times

Opinion

Photography

When I was growing up in Los Angeles, the bumper stickers proclaimed “Work Union, Live Better.”
For more than two decades as an educator, I lived by those words, serving actively in the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), even representing my colleagues in the House of Representatives.
But in January 2022, I made the difficult decision to leave the union I once cherished.
The U.S. District Court in Los Angeles will be deciding a landmark case brought by Jewish teachers — with the support of the Freedom Foundation — challenging UTLA’s legal status as their exclusive representative.
This case isn&#8217;t just about workplace discrimination. It’s about the transformation of a once-proud teachers’ union into a platform for anti-Semitism and radical politics.
The change began about six years ago when a group called Union Power seized control of UTLA’s leadership. Instead of focusing on teacher welfare, fair wages and workplace protections, it began pushing divisive social and political agendas.
The monthly union newspaper, which had long provided transparency into union operations, mysteriously ceased publication. UTLA’s new leadership endorsed the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and voted to demand the immediate cessation of U.S. aid to Israel.
The hostility toward Jewish members became increasingly overt. Jewish teachers have been systematically removed from online meetings for questioning anti-Semitic stances.
During a UTLA ethnic studies meeting, President Cecily Myart-Cruz declared the Museum of Tolerance — a Holocaust museum — the union’s “enemy.” At the same event, protesters shouted “F*** Israel” alongside calls for violence.
A UTLA chapter chair even taught students that life in Palestine was comparable to Holocaust concentration camps — a grotesque distortion of history that minimizes the systematic murder of six million Jews.
This isn’t about choosing sides in global conflicts. It’s about a union betraying its fundamental purpose — protecting and supporting all of its members, regardless of their faith or heritage.
The union’s increasingly toxic culture extends beyond anti-Semitism. The LAUSD headquarters houses what teachers grimly call the “Teachers in Trouble” room — essentially a holding pen where educators under investigation languish for days, weeks or months while UTLA does little to defend them.
It’s a stark example of how far the union has strayed from its mission to protect teachers.
After the election of President Trump, Myart-Cruz stoked racial tensions by warning that, “Parents of black and brown children really need to pay closer attention this week to their kids’ classes. Remember, 55 percent of white women voted for Trump, and they are nearly 80 percent of the teaching profession.”
During board meetings, union members openly maintain databases of parents who dare to speak out against their agenda. They’ve even threatened to visit dissenting parents at their homes.
UTLA collects nearly $120 monthly from each of its 30,000 members, totaling more than $43 million annually. Yet when teachers need real support, the union often fails them.
Its legal department routinely abandons educators facing workplace issues, forcing many to seek costly private representation. The union’s standard response to teachers in trouble has become a cynical question, “How close are you to retirement?”
The Freedom Foundation has been instrumental in exposing these practices and supporting teachers who wish to opt out of UTLA’s discriminatory regime. The ongoing legal challenge represents a crucial effort to hold this union accountable for its systemic failures and discriminatory practices.
While opting out of membership provides some relief, Jewish employees still face a fundamental challenge: Under current labor law, UTLA remains their exclusive bargaining representative regardless of membership status.
This means they continue to be associated with the union’s positions even after leaving.
Teachers unions should unite educators, not divide them. They should fight for better working conditions, not propagate hatred.
They should protect all members, not discriminate based on faith or ethnicity.
The reality is, UTLA has abandoned its core mission of protecting teachers’ rights and dignity in favor of anti-Semitic rhetoric and divisive politics. Until fundamental change occurs in UTLA’s leadership, I’ll keep my $1,440 in annual dues and my conscience clear.
Thanks to the Freedom Foundation, teachers have support in challenging UTLA’s discriminatory practices. This court case offers hope for change.
It’s an opportunity to hold UTLA accountable and remind them of their true purpose: supporting and protecting all educators, regardless of their faith, ethnicity, or political beliefs.
Our schools, our teachers and, most importantly, our students deserve nothing less.
* * *
Barry Blisten is a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

Los Angeles Skyline Palm Trees

I Teach In Los Angeles. Anti-Semitism Has Taken Over Our Union.

Anti-Semitism

antisemitism

California

Los Angeles

Pro-Hamas

Public Schools

Teachers

Teachers Unions

Anti-Israel student activists at Harvard University are pushing forward with a referendum on whether the school should divest from Israel, a move that may violate rules barring the undergraduate student government from taking positions on global issues.
A petition launched on Tuesday gathered the 195 signatures needed to trigger a college-wide referendum in just three hours, according to the <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/4/10/divestment-petition-israel-palestine/">Harvard Crimson</a>. The undergraduate push follows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-law-students-amend-bylaws-to-enact-secret-ballot-ahead-of-vote-to-boycott-israel">Harvard Law School</a> and Harvard Divinity School’s student governments voting to divest from the Jewish State in recent weeks.
If referendum bylaws are followed and signatures are verified, the vote will be held within three weeks and include the proposed question: “Should Harvard divest from institutions that profit from and/or aid Israel’s war on Gaza and the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine?”
Two Harvard students told The Daily Wire that the petition is a violation of the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OkwkJenKI9kRywA1fZyyjdSipJ-oiVQ-Ub-R-Z6Cflc/edit#heading=h.rhbc0bvazhl2">student government bylaws</a>, which state the Harvard Undergraduate Association can “not publish statements on world or campus issues/events.” 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-law-students-resign-from-student-govt-over-secret-ballot-anti-israel-vote">Harvard Law Students Resign From Student Govt Over Secret Ballot Anti-Israel Vote</a>
“The HUA’s bylaws, written after the previous student government body <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/4/6/cheng-resigns-uc-president/">was dissolved</a>, in part because of their willingness to issue political statements, prohibits statements on campus or world events,” a Harvard undergraduate told The Daily Wire. “Additionally, HUA resolutions can only be used ‘to set HUA policy,’ and the HUA has no policy regarding Israel or Harvard&#8217;s investment.”
The student, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from peers, added that it&#8217;s a violation of bylaws to join “political movements” and to use “leading questions.”
&#8220;Harvard leadership has made clear that it opposes calls for a policy of boycotting Israel and its academic institutions,&#8221; a Harvard spokesman said in a statement. &#8220;In the words of former President Bacow, responding to a 2022 editorial in The Harvard Crimson that had endorsed the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, &#8216;targeting or boycotting a particular group because of disagreements over the policies pursued by their governments is antithetical to what we stand for as a University,&#8217; and &#8216;academic boycotts have absolutely no place at Harvard, regardless of who they target.'&#8221;
The 195 signature threshold is determined by taking 10 percent of the total number of students that voted in the 2023 Harvard Undergraduate’s Association (HUA) elections, per the bylaws.
“As the university discusses institutional neutrality during a time of genocide, sign NOW to tell Harvard to divest from Israel&#8217;s war crimes against Palestinians,” the anti-Israel student group Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee wrote in an Instagram post with the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5jO04jpyPX/?img_index=1">petition link</a>.
The post cites reporting from the Harvard Crimson, which found that <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/3/19/harvard-israel-palestine-investments/">Harvard invested</a> $200 million in companies tied to the Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-accused-of-promoting-eco-terrorism-for-plans-to-screen-how-to-blow-up-a-pipeline-film">Harvard Accused Of Promoting Eco-Terrorism For Plans To Screen ‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline’ Film</a>
In a now-deleted post, the group expressed that all signatures will be kept secret and only known to the election commission chair Behruz Mahmadov, two administrators, and the petitioners Shraddha Joshi and Asmer Asrar Safi.
Just four days after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israeli civilians, Safi, a Rhodes Scholar, <a href="https://archive.ph/Sih4e">shared a photo</a> of a former leader of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ghassan Kanafani.
<div id="attachment_721537" style="width: 420px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-721537" class="size-large wp-image-721537" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-10-at-11.56.53%E2%80%AFAM-410x576.png" alt="Asmer Asrar Safi student posts picture of Ghassan Kanafani" width="410" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-10-at-11.56.53%E2%80%AFAM-410x576.png 410w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-10-at-11.56.53%E2%80%AFAM-214x300.png 214w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-10-at-11.56.53%E2%80%AFAM-768x1078.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-10-at-11.56.53%E2%80%AFAM-1094x1536.png 1094w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-10-at-11.56.53%E2%80%AFAM.png 1180w" sizes=" (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px" />Harvard student and Rhodes Scholar Asmer Asrar Safi posted an image of Ghassan Kanafani, a former leader of the U.S.-designated terrorist group PFLP just days after Hamas&#8217;s massacre of civilians in Israel.</div>
“Thinking about the words of Ghassan Kanafani as Harvard faces one of its most intense onslaughts of doxxing, intimidation and harassment,” he tweeted. “Here&#8217;s to rejecting occupation and apartheid in the face of everything today.”
A quote from Kanafani was removed from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-hires-24-7-security-to-protect-anti-israel-apartheid-wall-featuring-quote-from-famous-terrorist">Harvard’s anti-Israel “apartheid wall”</a> last week after media attention that the students platformed a man who was linked to the massacre of 26 people—including American tourists—at Ben Gurion airport in 1972, according to the Mossad.
Joshi has a long history of anti-Israel activism and was a member of one of the student groups that co-organized a statement blaming Israel for Hamas’ attack just a day after it happened, <a href="https://canarymission.org/individual/Shraddha_Joshi">according to Canary Mission</a>.
“There should be no surprise in this effort coming as it does from a group that is no longer antisemitic in effect, but antisemitic in their intent, words, and actions,” Harvard Chabad Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi told The Daily Wire. “What remains to be seen is to what degree faculty will continue to remain silent in the face of the rising Jew-hate that is defiantly being promulgated on campus.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-anti-israel-mob-at-harvard-chants-outside-israeli-popstar-ishay-ribos-concert">VIDEO: Anti-Israel Mob At Harvard Chants Outside Israeli Popstar Ishay Ribo’s Concert</a>
Another Harvard student said the referendum can intensify “the alienation that Jewish students, particularly those from Israel, have felt since October by signaling to them that they do not have a place in the student body.”
“What is important to note is that on campus the divestment campaign has been framed as one against genocide,” the student added. “The referendum seeks divestment from any organization linked to Israel. There is a prevailing belief, as the petition shows, that even remote support for the Jewish state means support for genocide.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-employee-harasses-jewish-student-suing-school-for-anti-semitism-asks-to-debate-9-11-conspiracies">Harvard Employee Harasses Jewish Student Suing School For Anti-Semitism, Asks To Debate 9/11 Conspiracies</a>
The student also asked to remain anonymous because of the belief system that fuels the petition, and because the student fears peers “will use the illusion of the moral high ground to ostracize their classmates in both social and academic circles.”
A University <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/4/10/divestment-petition-israel-palestine/#:~:text=A%20University%20statement%20released%20last,petition%20to%20officially%20gather%20signatures.">statement</a> released last week said, “Harvard leadership has made clear that it opposes calls for a policy of boycotting Israel and its academic institutions.”
Harvard’s interim president Alan Garber launched working groups last week to explore if and how the university should make statements on political issues. 
“In recent months and years, we have heard clearly that many in our community feel constrained in their ability to express their views on critically important questions,” Garber and Interim Harvard Provost John Manning <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/4/5/garber-institutional-neutrality-group/">wrote in an email</a>. “More and more members of our community have also asked whether and when the University should use its official voice to address matters of social and political significance.”
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include a statement from Harvard.

US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-PROTEST

Radical Harvard Students Set To Skirt Bylaws To Hold Anti-Israel Referendum Vote

Harvard

Students at the University of Virginia overwhelmingly voted in favor of their university divesting from the state of Israel in a campus-wide referendum on Wednesday amid accusations of anti-Semitic discrimination against Jewish students at the school.
The referendum, sponsored by seven student groups, passed by a margin of 67 percent to 32 percent, with 30 percent of the student body participating.
The <a href="https://studentelections.virginia.edu/form/uva-apartheid-divest-2024">referendum</a> calls for the university’s administration to undergo an audit to determine if endowment funds are used to invest in companies “engaging in or profiting from the State of Israel’s apartheid regime.” It demands the school divest any funds identified.
It also condemns the UVA administration for its failure to attack Israel in its statement that condemned Hamas days after the terror group committed the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. 
“The University released an initial statement on October 11, 2023, recognizing the ‘brutal terrorist attacks on Israel’ and ‘the actions of Hamas and the horrific violence that has taken place against civilians,’” the referendum reads. “This message failed to address the crimes committed by the Israeli government and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
It added that “entire student populations” felt “unseen and otherized” because the statement did not use the words “Palestine” or “Gaza.”
On October 9, UVA’s Students for Justice in Palestine group — one of the groups behind the referendum — posted a photo on Instagram of a bulldozer destroying the fence between Gaza and Israel during Hamas’ attack, along with the text, “Decolonization is not a metaphor.” In the caption, the group encourages their peers to attend a demonstration where they can learn how to “be in solidarity with Palestinians resisting occupation.”
<div id="attachment_704095" style="width: 376px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704095" class="wp-image-704095 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/IMG_6280-366x576.jpg" alt="UVA SJP group Instagram " width="366" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/IMG_6280-366x576.jpg 366w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/IMG_6280-191x300.jpg 191w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/IMG_6280-768x1208.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/IMG_6280-977x1536.jpg 977w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/IMG_6280.jpg 1290w" sizes=" (max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px" />UVA’s SJP group posted a photo from Hamas&#8217;s October 7 attack encouraging peers to learn how to be &#8220;in solidarity with Palestinians resisting occupation.”</div>
The other sponsors of the referendum include Asian Students Union, Dissenters at UVA, DivestUVA, Minority Rights Coalition, Muslim Students Association, and Muslims United.
The executive committee at UVA’s Hillel, a Jewish student organization, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brodyjewishcenter/posts/pfbid02bXuAFFqeFkRef8Rn3CJSzeUL5Xbyx5Zrws24hJBqDuao7gLXNBhRMFAbVjjWLynyl">said</a> the group was “deeply saddened” that the referendum passed, and that it &#8220;levels inaccurate and delegitimizing accusations about Israel.&#8221;
The Jewish group also attacked the referendum for delegitimizing the only Jewish state in the world by accusing Israel of “apartheid” and “settler colonialism” and stating that Israel has been an occupier for seven decades.
“This erasure of history and denial of self-determination harms many of the Jewish students on Grounds, making them feel unwelcome and ostracized by their peers,” the Hillel board wrote. 
Jewish students met with the UVA administration to allege multiple anti-Semitic incidents have taken place, including being spat on, shoved, and called anti-Semitic slurs, <a href="https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/university-of-virginia-uva-jewish-students-parents-antisemitism-islamophobia-divest-students-protest-discrimination-october-7-us-department-of-education-pro-palestine-groups-israel-gaza-hamas-war">reported NBC 15 News</a>.
“Tragically there’s one kid that has been so intimidated by students in his dorm, for peace of mind he has to move off campus and sleep elsewhere and stop wearing his Yamika,” said lawyer Joel Nied, who accompanied the students during their meeting. 
“Other kids when they walk by these protests, they feel they need to tuck their jewelry, their Jewish stars into their sweaters and shirts so no one sees them.”
“They’re hiding their identity,” he added. 
Nied said classes have also been canceled by professors in support of anti-Israel activism.
In response, the school created a <a href="https://news.virginia.edu/content/uva-task-force-will-examine-religious-diversity-and-belonging-grounds">religious diversity task force</a> with two of its 11 members — professors Nichole Flores and Oludamini Ogunnaike — also being signatories on an <a href="https://fjpuva.com/home/openletteroct23/">open faculty letter</a> on October 27, that said they are alarmed by the lack of mention of the “context in which Oct 7 occurred.”
“I don’t know how anybody can try to contextualize what happened on Oct. 7 other than looking at it for what it was,” Nied said. “It was a barbaric horrible attack. There’s no justification.”
UVA is currently under a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for “national origin discrimination involving religion.” A spokesman for UVA told The Daily Wire that it does not take positions on student referenda.
&#8220;VA has a tradition of student self-governance, which means students are responsible for running elections like this,&#8221; Brian Coy said. &#8220;The referendum was an expression of the opinion of the students who voted for it, it is not the University’s position and it is not binding on the University in any way.&#8221;
The referendum also states that the school’s November 6th statement mentioning the “terrible toll the ensuing war has taken on both the Palestinian and Israeli people,” was an issue because it failed to “condemn any of Israel’s human rights violations since October 7th.”
“[A]t a minimum, acknowledging Israel as a victim of violence should not be separated from acknowledging Palestine as a victim of settler colonialism and apartheid,” the referendum states.
It also calls for the school to act on its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by “not further ignoring the pain and existence of Palestinian students and community members.”
According to Hillel, the student organizations backing the referendum violated election rules by submitting it under a “UVA Apartheid Divest” coalition that has “no official standing with the University and is in violation of its rules for student-led organization.”
Hillel also accuses the pro-divesting side of violating rules regarding pushing their campaign in classrooms, on UVA listservs, and with the help of employees. The school administration failed to take meaningful actions, according to the statement.
“We are extremely proud of our students and grateful for their leadership,” the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brodyjewishcenter/posts/pfbid02bXuAFFqeFkRef8Rn3CJSzeUL5Xbyx5Zrws24hJBqDuao7gLXNBhRMFAbVjjWLynyl">statement</a> read. “They ran a passionate, principled, and inspiring campaign encouraging their peers to vote NO on this deeply flawed and biased referendum.”

University of Virginia Students Vote To Divest From Israel, Condemn Its War Against Hamas

Hillel

Jewish

University of Virginia

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ben-jerrys">Ben &amp; Jerry’s</a> filed suit against parent company Unilever on Tuesday in an attempt to stop the discharge of its <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/business">business</a> in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/israel">Israel</a> to a local distributor.
Last summer, the ice cream maker revealed that it would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-ben-jerrys-targets-israel-we-wont-sell-ice-cream-in-judea-and-samaria">stop sales</a> in parts of the Near East purportedly occupied by Israelis — leading to action from lawmakers and legal nonprofits. Last week, Unilever <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-jerrys-parent-company-slams-boycott-efforts-announces-sales-will-resume-in-judea-and-samaria">announced</a> the discharge of Ben &amp; Jerry’s business in the region to American Quality Products owner Avi Zinger, the current Israel-based license holder, who will sell the ice cream products under both Hebrew and Arabic brand names.
Ben &amp; Jerry’s said in the lawsuit that its independent board of directors did not approve Unilever’s decision, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/05/ben-jerrys-sues-parent-company-unilever-over-sale-of-israeli-business.html">CNBC</a>. The suit argued that Ben &amp; Jerry’s brand image is “synonymous with social activism,” noting that it reserves the “primary responsibility for safeguarding the integrity” of the brand under the acquisition deal. Indeed, Ben &amp; Jerry’s sells flavors <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2018/02/social-mission-flavors">oriented</a> around social causes such as climate change and racial equity, often donating proceeds to related nonprofits.
Though a judge did not grant Ben &amp; Jerry’s requested temporary restraining order, Unilever was ordered to demonstrate by July 14 why a preliminary injunction against the sale of the Israeli business should not be issued.
Last week, Unilever said in a <a href="https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2022/unilever-reaches-new-business-arrangement-for-ben-jerrys-in-israel/">statement</a> that it has “never expressed any support” for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bds">BDS</a>) movement, which argues that companies around the world should refrain from doing business with Israel due to the country’s alleged occupation of territory held by Palestinian Arabs.
“Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance,” the company explained. “We look forward to continuing to make a positive contribution to Israel’s economy and society for many decades to come, and hope that Israelis and Palestinians can reach a peaceful resolution of their conflict.”
Last summer, Gilad Erdan — who serves as Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations — exhorted state governments to oppose the move. “I ask that you consider speaking out against the company’s decision, and taking any other relevant steps, including in relation to your state laws and the commercial dealings between Ben and Jerry’s and your state,” he <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/erdan-asks-35-us-states-to-activate-anti-bds-laws-against-ben-jerrys/">wrote</a> in a letter to American governors, requesting the activation of laws meant to oppose the BDS movement.
Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> (R-FL), for example, agreed last summer that the ice cream maker had violated his state’s statutes through the boycott. “As you know, Florida has long had a strong relationship with the State of Israel,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/22/governor-ron-desantis-calls-on-state-board-of-administration-to-place-ben-jerrys-on-the-continued-examination-companies-that-boycott-israel-list/">remarked</a>. “As a matter of law and principle, the State of Florida does not tolerate discrimination against the State of Israel or the Israeli people, including boycotts and divestments targeting Israel.”
Last month, Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kathy-hochul">Kathy Hochul</a> (D-NY) gave Ben &amp; Jerry’s a July 6 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-governor-kathy-hochul-gives-ben-jerrys-parent-company-one-last-chance-to-justify-divestment-from-israel">deadline to explain</a> why its actions did not constitute boycott activity. Hochul&#8217;s Press Secretary Hazel Crampton-Hays remarked that an earlier response from Unilever “did not include important clarifying information central to formulating a determination under the Executive Order.”
In an October 2021 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-dont-know-ben-jerrys-co-founder-stumped-when-pressed-about-israel-boycott-hypocrisy">interview</a>, Ben &amp; Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were pressed by Axios reporter Alexi McCammond about their boycott decision.
“You guys are big proponents of voting rights. Why do you still sell ice cream in Georgia? Texas — abortion bans. Why are you still selling there?” McCammond asked. After a six-second pause, a frazzled Cohen replied, “I don’t know.”
“It’s an interesting question,” he attempted to answer. “I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues, of voting rights, and — I don’t know. You know, I mean, I think you ask a really good question. And I think I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit.”

BDB95427-9B84-4E80-A4B5-1674C3D48A72_1_201_a

Ben & Jerry’s Takes Action Against Its Parent Company To Continue Boycotting Israel

Ben & Jerry's Sues Its Parent Company So It Can Continue Boycotting Israel

Ben &amp; Jerry's

Business

Unilever, the parent company of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ben-jerrys">Ben &amp; Jerry’s</a>, announced on Tuesday that the ice cream maker would resume sales in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/israel">Israel</a> and rejected the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bds">BDS</a>) movement.
Last summer, Ben &amp; Jerry’s revealed that it would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-ben-jerrys-targets-israel-we-wont-sell-ice-cream-in-judea-and-samaria">stop sales</a> in parts of the Near East purportedly “occupied” by Israelis — leading to action from lawmakers and legal nonprofits. Unilever said on Tuesday that the company sold its Ben &amp; Jerry’s business interests to American Quality Products owner Avi Zinger, the current Israel-based license holder, who will sell the ice cream products throughout Israel under both Hebrew and Arabic brand names.
“Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance,” a <a href="https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2022/unilever-reaches-new-business-arrangement-for-ben-jerrys-in-israel/">statement</a> from the company said. “Antisemitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and have no intention of changing that position.”
Unilever, which employs 2,000 people in Israel, added that the new business arrangement occurred after reviewing Ben &amp; Jerry’s boycott policy. “We look forward to continuing to make a positive contribution to Israel’s economy and society for many decades to come, and hope that Israelis and Palestinians can reach a peaceful resolution of their conflict,” the company continued.
International Legal Forum CEO Arsen Ostrovsky, one of the first attorneys to initiate suit against Ben &amp; Jerry’s over its boycott of Israel, said in a statement to The Daily Wire that Unilever’s decision represented a “stunning unequivocal defeat” for the BDS movement, which promotes a total avoidance of the Israeli economy over claims that the nation wrongfully occupies Palestinian land.
“This decision was only made possible after intense legal and financial pressure, including direct negotiations with Unilever leadership,” Ostrovsky said. “A sweet victory indeed for justice and the rule of law, against the dark forces of hate, bigotry and antisemitism of the BDS Movement.”
Several state governments took action against Ben &amp; Jerry’s boycott. Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> (R-FL), for example, said in July 2021 that the company had violated state law through its policy.
“As you know, Florida has long had a strong relationship with the State of Israel,” DeSantis said. “As a matter of law and principle, the State of Florida does not tolerate discrimination against the State of Israel or the Israeli people, including boycotts and divestments targeting Israel.”
In June 2022, Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kathy-hochul">Kathy Hochul</a> (D-NY) gave Ben &amp; Jerry’s a July 6 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-governor-kathy-hochul-gives-ben-jerrys-parent-company-one-last-chance-to-justify-divestment-from-israel">deadline to explain</a> why its behavior did not constitute boycott activity. Hochul press secretary Hazel Crampton-Hays told The Forward that an earlier response from Unilever “did not include important clarifying information central to formulating a determination under the Executive Order.”
In an October 2021 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-dont-know-ben-jerrys-co-founder-stumped-when-pressed-about-israel-boycott-hypocrisy">interview</a>, Ben &amp; Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were pressed by Axios reporter Alexi McCammond about their boycott decision.
“You guys are big proponents of voting rights. Why do you still sell ice cream in Georgia? Texas — abortion bans. Why are you still selling there?” McCammond asked. After a six-second pause, a frazzled Cohen replied, “I don’t know.”
“It’s an interesting question,” he attempted to answer. “I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues, of voting rights, and — I don’t know. You know, I mean, I think you ask a really good question. And I think I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit.”

Ben & Jerry’s Parent Company Slams Boycott Efforts, Announces Sales Will Resume In Judea And Samaria

Ben & Jerry's To Resume Sales In West Bank Following Attempted ‘Divestment’

On Thursday, the New York state comptroller revealed that the state’s enormous pension fund would divest its $111 million in investments from Unilever, the firm that owns Ben &amp; Jerry’s, because Ben &amp; Jerry’s had refused to sell ice cream in the areas of Judea and Samaria in Israel.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who manages the $263 billion state Common Retirement Fund, cited the state comptroller’s policy implemented in 2016 that said Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) of Israel activities harmed Israel.
DiNapoli told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/29/new-york-pulls-pension-funds-from-ben-jerrys-over-boycott-of-israel-occupied-territories/">New York Post</a>, “After a thorough review, the New York State Common Retirement Fund will divest its equity holdings in Unilever PLC. Our review of the activities of the company, and its subsidiary Ben &amp; Jerry’s, found they engaged in BDS activities under our pension fund’s policy.”
Former Brooklyn state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who served with DiNapoli in the state assembly, lauded the decision, saying, “This is wonderful news. God bless Tom DiNapoli. … BDS equals anti-Semitism and Comptroller DiNapoli  stood up against hate.”
In late July, DiNapoli’s director of corporate governance, Liz Gordon, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/23/ny-pension-fund-puts-unilever-on-notice-for-ben-jerrys-sales-ban/">warned</a> Unilever CEO Alan Jope, “The Fund views BDS activities as a potential threat to Israel, its economy, and, as a result, the Fund’s relevant investments. Further, a number of U.S. states have acted or are considering actions to penalize companies that engage in such behavior. … As a result, companies that engage in BDS activities may face legal, reputational and financial risks.”
The Post reported, “JOPE gave a circular response on August 4 defending Ben &amp; Jerry’s actions, saying it doesn’t intervene in actions taken by the ‘independent’ boards or the ‘social mission’ of its brands.”
He wrote, “Unilever has a strong and longstanding commitment to our business in Israel. We employ nearly 2,000 people in the country across our four factories and head office, and we have invested approximately $250 million in the Israeli market over the last decade. … On this decision, it was no different. Ben &amp; Jerry’s has also made it clear that although the brand will not be present in the West Bank from 2023, it will remain in Israel through a different business arrangement.”
The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ben-jerrys-founders-admit-money-is-why-they-dont-boycott-sales-in-states-whose-policies-they-disagree-with-israel-is-a-drop-in-the-bucket/">reported</a> in mid-October that Ben &amp; Jerry’s founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield admitted that money was the main reason they don’t boycott sales in states whose policies they disagree with, in the context of their Israel boycott enacted in July:
<blockquote>Axios reporter Alexi McCammond pressed Cohen and Greenfield on their decision to not sell in Israel, but to continue selling in states that have been deemed problematic by Democrats, such as Georgia with its new voting laws, or Texas with its ban on abortions after a heartbeat is detected.
“I don’t know,” shrugged Cohen. “I mean &#8211; It’s an interesting question. I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues, of voting rights, and&#8230; I don’t know. You know, I mean &#8211; I think you ask a really good question. And, I think, I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit [&#8230;.] By that reasoning, we should not sell any ice cream anywhere. I’ve got issues with what’s being done in most every state and most every country.”</blockquote>

Florida Plans To Cut Financial Ties With Ben & Jerry’s Over Israel Boycott

NY’s Huge Pension Fund Yanks Over $100 Million From Ben & Jerry’s Parent Company

New York

Author Sally Rooney is blocking Israeli publishers from translating her latest book into Hebrew to show her support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Rooney stipulated in her statement that she was not against a Hebrew-language version of her book coming out, but the publisher could not be Israeli without first issuing a public condemnation of Israel’s Palestinian policies. She also stated that while many countries across engage in some form of human rights abuse, she was specifically reacting to “the call from Palestinian civil society” to support the BDS movement.
“I understand that not everyone will agree with my decision, but I simply do not feel it would be right for me under the present circumstances to accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people,” Rooney said in her <a href="https://twitter.com/maricohen95/status/1447907515795128325">statement</a>.
“The Hebrew-language translation rights to my new novel are still available, and if I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so. In the meantime I would like to express once again my solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality,” she concluded.
The BDS movement is widely considered to be antisemitic. Dozens of U.S. states have <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/anti-bds-legislation">passed</a> or enacted legislation discouraging boycotts against Israel or condemning the BDS movement. The Anti-Defamation League, a progressive group, has <a href="https://www.adl.org/what-we-do/israel/anti-israel-and-anti-zionist-campaigns">said</a> that movements such as BDS “frequently [result] in antisemitism and discrimination against Jews.”
Israel is the only country in the world that has adopted Hebrew as its national language, and the Hebrew publishing industry is centered there, according to the <a href="https://www.jta.org/2021/10/12/culture/sally-rooney-israeli-publishers-cant-put-out-my-work-but-a-hebrew-translation-would-be-an-honour">Jewish Telegraph Agency</a>. Whether another publishing house could take Rooney’s manuscript and translate it into Hebrew is unclear.
Hebrew is deeply intertwined with Israel. The Jewish linguist Eliezer Ben-Yehuda revived the language, which had remained unspoken for centuries, in the late 1800s after coming to Israel. As <a href="https://mfa.gov.il/mfa/israelexperience/history/pages/hebrew-language-day-the-revival-of-the-language-of-the-bible.aspx">Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs</a> explains:
<blockquote>A hundred and fifty years ago, Hebrew was not a spoken language. It was literally nobody&#8217;s mother tongue. Today, more than 9 million people speak Hebrew and, for the majority of them, it’s their native tongue. …
Eliezer Ben Yehuda was the driving force behind the revival of the ancient language and its transformation into its modern form. This visionary linguist, who was born in Lithuania in 1858, came to Israel in 1881 with a dream to transform Hebrew into a modern language and to make it the language spoken in every home in Israel. He settled in Jerusalem and dedicated his life to the realization of his dream.
Ben Yehuda campaigned to make Hebrew the language of instruction in Israeli schools, worked on expanding the Hebrew vocabulary so it could meet the demands of modern Israeli society, created the first modern Hebrew dictionary and edited the first Hebrew-language daily newspapers. His son, Itamar Ben-Avi, was the first child in modern times to grow up with Hebrew as his mother tongue.
Ben-Yehuda fashioned out of the ancient Hebrew structures over 300 new Hebrew words. Since then, more than 15,000 new words have been added, and we’re still counting.</blockquote>

Sally Rooney

Author Sally Rooney Boycotts Israel, Bans Israeli Publishers From Translating Her Latest Book

Dear Ben and Jerry,
Your recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/opinion/ben-and-jerry-israel.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/opinion/ben-and-jerry-israel.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1627652361259000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHCnQrtSi0B6gkuNQiBRRDmP-hrtA">open</a> letter defending your former company’s decision to boycott Judea and Samaria was either intentionally misleading or shockingly ill-informed.
You wrote that the decision to halt sales in the disputed areas is not a boycott of the entire State of Israel, nor an endorsement of the BDS movement, but you conveniently left out some important information: The chairwoman of the board that made the decision is in fact a staunch and public BDS supporter, who also made it known that the board had wanted to “release a different statement… that made no reference to continued sales in Israel” until the parent company, Unilever, unilaterally changed the language against the will of the board. Furthermore, the company is well aware that Israeli law actually forbids this kind of action (i.e., the boycott of Israeli citizens, Jewish or Arab, based on their location), and so in effect the company is actually boycotting all of Israel proper. And finally, the announcement in practice only affects the Israeli licensee, who does not own any stores in those disputed territories. It discriminates against him, an Israeli citizen whose entire operation is in Israel, because he refuses to break Israeli law.
You noted that it is possible for the company to support the State of Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as Ben and Jerry’s has opposed certain policies of the U.S. government in the past. That is undoubtedly true and entirely irrelevant. What makes this decision wrong and definitionally antisemitic is that you don’t treat Israel the same way that you treat the United States, or any other country for that matter. The example you give in your letter is instructive: You describe how the company has long advocated for peace, and has even called on Congress to reduce the U.S. military budget. But did the company ever boycott any part of America? Or any other country? Of course not.
You go on to note that “as Jewish supporters of the State of Israel, we fundamentally reject the notion that it is anti-Semitic to question the policies of the State of Israel.” Sadly, whether or not you are aware of it, you have bought in to a straw man argument made by antisemites the world over as a disingenuous way of hiding their discriminatory hatred behind a thin-veil of anti-Zionism. To be clear- no one disagrees with that notion, and no one is upset at you for disagreeing with Israel. Of course, you can criticize and oppose the policies of the State. But name one other country in the entire world whose capital city you have boycotted because you did not like their policies.
You claim that the decision was a “step to align its business and operations with its progressive values,” but you feel free to let the company do business with Iran, China, Syria, and any number of other human-rights abusers. The only country you have singled out as worthy of your corporate condemnation is the Jewish State.
For the record, even your stated condemnation belies an uneducated acceptance of the fundamentally false BDS narrative which denies Jewish claims to the land and places the blame for the current situation on Israel. You claim that “Israeli policy… perpetuates an illegal occupation that is a barrier to peace and violates the basic human rights of the Palestinian people who live under the occupation.” Maybe you don’t know that Israel has repeatedly (over 30 times,) offered plans for peace and division of the land. Some of those plans, including the Clinton Peace Parameters, were even supported by much of the Arab world. You should definitely research that before you make such sweeping declarations. For your own edification, Israel (legitimately) gained a total of 26,178 square miles of territory in the defensive war of 1967. To date, it has ceded sovereignty over 23,871 square miles or 87% of that territory. At various times in recent history (including deals proposed in 2000, 2008, and 2014), Israel has offered up to 99.3% of the remaining disputed territory in exchange for the peace Ben and Jerry’s claims to be yearning for. Each time, the Palestinians refused. Did you consider those facts before you propagated the false narrative that Jews are not indigenous people living in their own ancestral homeland? I didn’t think so.
Here is the cold hard truth without any sugar coating- the flavor of the month may be “anti-Israel senti-Mint, but when ‘criticism’ of the Jewish State is done in a discriminatory manner, i.e. when Israel is singled out for disparate and disparaging treatment, there is a word for that, and that word is antisemitism.
Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Esq. is Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center 
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CONFLICT-FOOD

OPINION: A Response To Ben And Jerry

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) called on the State Board of Administration (SBA) last week to place Ben &amp; Jerry’s, along with its parent company Unilever, on the state’s Scrutinized Companies List.
DeSantis made his demand in a <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/22/governor-ron-desantis-calls-on-state-board-of-administration-to-place-ben-jerrys-on-the-continued-examination-companies-that-boycott-israel-list/">letter</a> to the board after Ben &amp; Jerry’s, a popular ice cream manufacturer that often mixes business and political activism, announced that it would no longer sell ice cream in the Judea and Samaria, also known as Israel’s West Bank. The ice cream company said that the sale of product in Judea and Samaria is “inconsistent with our values for Ben &amp; Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Florida state law forbids the state from investing in any company that joins the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. Supporting boycotts against Israel is outlawed in dozens of U.S. states as the BDS movement is viewed as antisemitic by its critics.
“As you know, Florida has long had a strong relationship with the State of Israel. As a matter of law and principle, the State of Florida does not tolerate discrimination against the State of Israel or the Israeli people, including boycotts and divestments targeting Israel,” DeSantis wrote on July 22.
“It has come to my attention that Ben &amp; Jerry’s has announced plans to remove its products and prohibit the sale of its ice cream in Judea and Samaria,” he continued. “These actions taken by Ben &amp; Jerry’s fall squarely within the prohibited activities defined by Section 215.4725(1)(a), Florida Statutes. Ben &amp; Jerry’s is a wholly owned subsidiary of Unilever, a publicly traded company in which Florida holds multiple investments.”
“Therefore, I am requesting the State Board of Administration (SBA) immediately place Ben &amp; Jerry’s and Unilever on the Continued Examination Companies that Boycott Israel List, and initiate the process to place Ben &amp; Jerry’s, and by extension Unilever, on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List,” he said.
“Should the State Board of Administration affirmatively place Unilever and its corporate entities on the Scrutinized Companies List and these companies do not cease the boycott of Israel as required by Florida law, the Board must refrain from acquiring any and all Unilever assets consistent with the law,” DeSantis wrote. “These actions affirm the State of Florida’s relationship with the State of Israel and our commitment to a swift response to those who discriminate against the Israeli people.”
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-urges-35-states-to-punish-ben-jerrys-its-antisemitic-decision-will-have-consequences">urged</a> U.S. states that forbid BDS campaigns against Israel to punish Ben &amp; Jerry’s for its action against Israel. Erdan said that Ben &amp; Jerry’s boycott of regions of Israel is antisemitic and contributes to the “dehumanization of the Jewish people.”
Erdan wrote in a letter in part:
<blockquote>Earlier today, July 19th, Ben &amp; Jerry’s announced their intention to boycott hundreds of thousands of citizens living in Judea and Samaria. We view this decision very severely as it is the de-facto adoption of anti-Semitic practices and advancement of the de-legitimization of the Jewish state and the dehumanization of the Jewish people.
In addition to the great moral difficulties that derive from such a boycott, Ben &amp; Jerry’s announced policy seems to also trigger potential legal ramifications, based on laws legislated by over 35 States, including your state, meant to counter these types of hate driven boycotts.</blockquote>

Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis Pushes For Action Against Ben & Jerry’s Over Israel Boycott

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid demanded U.S. action against Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s on Monday after the ice cream company announced they would no longer sell their products in Judea and Samaria, which they described as &#8220;Occupied Palestinian Territory.&#8221;
&#8220;Ben &amp; Jerry’s decision represents shameful surrender to antisemitism, to BDS and to all that is wrong with the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discourse. We will not be silent,&#8221; Lapid tweeted.
&#8220;Over 30 states in the United States have passed anti-BDS legislation in recent years. I plan on asking each of them to enforce these laws against Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s. They will not treat the State of Israel like this without a response,&#8221; Lapid added.
To date, 35 states have <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/anti-bds-legislation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">passed</a> legislation against the <a href="https://www.ajc.org/news/bds-is-antisemitic" rel="noopener">anti-Semitic</a> Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Over 30 states in the United States have passed anti-BDS legislation in recent years. I plan on asking each of them to enforce these laws against Ben &amp; Jerry&#39;s. They will not treat the State of Israel like this without a response.
&mdash; יאיר לפיד &#8211; Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) <a href="https://twitter.com/yairlapid/status/1417169816352436226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s announced Monday that it would go against their values to allow their frozen treats to be sold in &#8220;Occupied Palestinian Territory.&#8221;
Their statement <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/palestine-statement?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=demand&amp;utm_term=photo&amp;utm_content=palestine-statement">read</a>:
<blockquote>We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben &amp; Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners. 
We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben &amp; Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.
Although Ben &amp; Jerry’s will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement. We will share an update on this as soon as we’re ready.</blockquote>
Ben &amp; Jerry’s have repeatedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/must-be-dismantled-ben-jerrys-attacks-americas-police-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">made headlines</a> over the years for issuing provocative political statements. In April, after Daunte Wright was shot in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, they <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/must-be-dismantled-ben-jerrys-attacks-americas-police-system/">tweeted</a> that America’s police system “can’t be reformed” and “must be dismantled.”
“The murder of #DaunteWright is rooted in white supremacy and results from the international criminalization of Black and Brown communities,&#8221; Ben &amp; Jerry’s wrote. &#8220;This system can’t be reformed. It must be dismantled and a real system of public safety rebuilt from the ground up. #DefundThePolice.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The murder of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DaunteWright?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DaunteWright</a> is rooted in white supremacy and results from the intentional criminalization of Black and Brown communities. 
This system can’t be reformed. 
It must be dismantled and a real system of public safety rebuilt from the ground up.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefundThePolice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefundThePolice</a>
&mdash; Ben &amp; Jerry&#39;s (@benandjerrys) <a href="https://twitter.com/benandjerrys/status/1381743962558504969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In October 2018, Ben &amp; Jerry’s rolled out a flavor called &#8220;Pecan Resist,&#8221; about which they tweeted: &#8220;Today we launch Pecan Resist! This flavor supports groups creating a more just and equitable nation for us all, and who are fighting President Trump’s regressive agenda.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today we launch Pecan Resist! This flavor supports groups creating a more just and equitable nation for us all, and who are fighting President Trump’s regressive agenda. Learn more and take action here &gt;&gt; <a href="https://t.co/Bi8YE1FvOZ">https://t.co/Bi8YE1FvOZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Kr6CKBX1sc">pic.twitter.com/Kr6CKBX1sc</a>
&mdash; Ben &amp; Jerry&#39;s (@benandjerrys) <a href="https://twitter.com/benandjerrys/status/1057274202284285952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 2017, Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s came out against Australia for not accepting same-sex marriage by <a href="https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/ben-jerrys-marriage-equality-australia/" rel="noopener">banning customers</a> from having two scoops of the same flavor. Twenty-six stores in Australia were targeted. They issued a statement:
<blockquote>Imagine heading down to your local Scoop Shop to order your favorite two scoops of Cookie Dough in a waffle cone. But you find out you are not allowed – Ben &amp; Jerry’s has banned two scoops of the same flavor. You’d be furious! But this doesn’t even begin to compare to how furious you would be if you were told you were not allowed to marry the person you love. So we are banning two scoops of the same flavor and encouraging our fans to contact their MPs to tell them that the time has come – make same sex marriage legal! Love comes in all flavours!</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-ben-jerrys-targets-israel-we-wont-sell-ice-cream-in-judea-and-samaria" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Leftist Ben &amp; Jerry’s Targets Israel: We Won’t Sell Ice Cream In Judea And Samaria</a>

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – JULY 12: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid attends the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium on July 12, 2021.

‘Shameful’: Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister To Demand U.S. Enforce Anti-BDS Laws Against Ben & Jerry’s

Far-left activists working inside major U.S. tech companies are waging an <a href="https://www.ajc.org/news/bds-is-antisemitic">anti-Semitic</a> Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel in response to Israel defending itself from Palestinian terrorist attacks last month.
The push for the anti-Semitic BDS campaign comes after Palestinian terrorist organizations — Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad — launched more than 4,300 rockets at Israel last month with approximately 680 falling inside of Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1396170789305659402">responded</a> by launching targeted strikes against the terror groups, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 terrorists, as well as the destruction of more than 60 miles of underground tunnels they were using.
The activist tech workers “are strategizing with outside activists over the best way to agitate against cloud contracts with the Israeli government,” Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/31/tech-giants-israel-ceasefire-491435">reported</a>. “A May 21 webinar for activists interested in demilitarization in the Palestinian territories, which BDS organized, included a breakout room devoted entirely to tech worker activism on the issue.”
An employee at Google who was part of organizing the activist’s efforts said that what is happening is “a broader reckoning within the technology industry about its involvement in Israel.”
The report noted that Microsoft &#8220;divested&#8221; from an Israeli firm after activists within the company pressured them to do so last year. The report said that activists inside Google and Amazon were trying to pressure their companies into canceling major contracts with Israel&#8217;s government. Amazon is currently in talks to set up three data centers in Israel while Google is setting up a new Google Cloud region in Israel.
&#8220;A major target of pro-Palestinian activists’ ire is a $1.2 billion cloud contract called Project Nimbus, which the Israeli government awarded to Amazon and Google last month,&#8221; the report added. &#8220;Though public information about the contract is scarce, Israel has said the companies will help provide cloud services to government agencies and the Israeli Defense Force. Shahar Bracha, the acting CEO of a technology-focused unit within the Israeli prime minister’s office, lauded Amazon’s cloud-computing unit and Google as &#8216;the Rolls-Royce and the Maserati of the cloud world.'&#8221;
Maria Jeffrey Reynolds, a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), said in a statement that the activists inside the tech companies were &#8220;a bunch of privileged people in Silicon Valley&#8221; who were pushing their companies &#8220;to participate in the anti-Israel BDS movement.&#8221;
The U.S. government late last year recognized &#8220;the global anti-Israel BDS campaign as anti-Semitic,&#8221; then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. “We want to stand with all other nations that recognize that the BDS movement for the cancer that it is and we’re committed to combatting it.”
NGO Monitor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pompeo-in-israel-u-s-to-defund-organizations-involved-in-anti-semitic-cancer-bds-campaigns">responded</a> to the announcement by saying in a statement:
<blockquote>The equating of BDS with antisemitism echoes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which defines attempts to deny “the Jewish people their right to self-determination” and apply “double standards” as antisemitic.
Combating antisemitism and ending the exploitation of universal human rights are both issues of great importance, and the need to address these objectives should transcend political divisions. In this context, NGO Monitor has called for governments, as well as NGOs, to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.</blockquote>
“The founding goals of the BDS movement, and many of the strategies employed in BDS campaigns, are fundamentally anti-Semitic,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “The vast and swift support for these bipartisan resolutions from across the board critically demonstrates the true priority for Americans is working toward a peaceful two-state solution with Israel as a Jewish state.”

ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-GAZA

Activists In Tech Push Anti-Semitic BDS Campaign Inside Workplace After Israel Defended Self From Terror

Big Tech

Menu

BDS