Course Instructor Benjamin Weinthal, Award-Winning European Affairs Correspondent, Jerusalem Post, and Research Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Making Sense of BDS on both sides of the Atlantic, will cover the rise of the anti-Israel boycott campaign among politicians, on college campuses, and within NGOs.
An examination of BDS-animated antisemitism with respect to the support it receives from terrorist organizations and state-sponsors of terrorism will be a part of the course. The Islamic Republic of Iran—the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to both Democratic and Republican Administrations in the United States—has been involved in aiding BDS.
The US and EU-designated terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine campaigns for BDS. The interplay between BDS and terrorism is a frequently overlooked aspect of the movement to isolate the Jewish state.
The role of German neo-Nazi parties, who have pushed BDS, will also be analyzed in the course. What are the similarities between the Hitler’s movement’s boycott of Jewish businesses and the BDS goals outlined in its formal 2005 plan of action along with post-2005 BDS activities?
A dive into the Arab boycott of Jews and Israel will be a feature of the course. Palestinian Arabs launched boycott activities and violence against Jewish businesses and Jews in then-British mandate Palestine. As early as 1922 Arab leaders promoted a boycott of Jewish businesses.
The need for policy changes to combat BDS will also be part of the course. What sophisticated policy recommendations exist to aid European and American lawmakers and policymakers in blocking the growth of a movement that has been classified as a contemporary form of antisemitism? What can the government on the local, state and federal levels do to stymie BDS activity? What can banks and online platforms do to avoid aiding BDS entities who promote discrimination against Jews and Israel and are aligned with terrorist entities? How have the Abraham Accords impacted BDS? Will additional normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries reduce BDS?
Live sessions will occur at 2:00 PM EST on the following dates and times. Recordings will be made available to registered participants who are unable to attend.
Session One: 2:00 PM EST, Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Session Two: 2:00 PM EST, Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Session Three: 2:00 PM EST, Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Session Four: 2:00 PM EST, Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Benjamin Weinthal is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). A widely published journalist based in Berlin, he serves as FDD’s eyes and ears in Europe. Benjamin’s investigative reporting has uncovered valuable information on Iran’s energy links to European firms and on Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s terror-finance operations in Europe. He has also examined the growth of the Islamic State in Europe, growing anti-Semitism on the continent, and neo-Nazism.
Benjamin’s work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal Europe, Slate, The Guardian, The New Republic, The Weekly Standard, National Review Online, the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post, and broadcast outlets including the BBC and Fox News. A fluent German speaker, Benjamin has also written columns and articles in the German newspapers Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Morgenpost, and Der Tagesspiegel.
Limited student scholarships available upon request: [email protected]