17.02.22
Editorial Note
Last week, the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) announced the return of ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ to the campuses and public spaces in 2022.
The BDS movement’s website is maintained by the BNC, “the coalition of Palestinian organizations that leads and supports the BDS movement and by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a BNC member organization.”
For the BNC, the Israeli Apartheid Week promotes the “struggle for freedom” and shares global experiences of “countering cultural erasure and cultural imperialism.”
This year, the BNC plans to shed light on “the role of culture, and art in particular, in decolonizing our minds in our collective struggles against cultural appropriation and oppression.”
According to the BNC, Israeli Apartheid Week is a “tool for mobilizing grassroots support on the global level for the Palestinian struggle for justice. It is a grassroots mechanism to raise awareness about Israeli apartheid and to mobilize support for strategic BDS campaigns to help bring an end to this system of oppression.”
It claims that the Israeli Apartheid Week provides an “opportunity to network and strengthen the links between the Palestinian liberation struggle and other struggles against racism, oppression, and discrimination. In 2022, as in every year since 2005, we will once again join our voices to denounce apartheid and celebrate our diversity… From March to April, communities around the globe will come together to organize inspiring actions and events to show that now, more than ever, we are #UnitedAgainstRacism.”
The BNC notes that “Despite decades of ruthless Israeli ethnic cleansing and brutal repression, Palestinians from all parts of historic Palestine, as well as in exile, took to the streets last May to challenge Israel’s regime of occupation, apartheid and settler colonialism.” As the Palestinians have “dismantled psychological colonial walls that divide us.”
The banner used this year is “United Against Racism,” to celebrate “cultures of resistance” and explore the “intersectional ties between the Palestinian liberation struggle and global struggles for justice.”
The dates provided for the Israeli Apartheid Week 2022 are: Europe and North America 21 – 28 March; Africa from 21 March – 4 April; Asia-Pacific 28 March – 4 April; Latin America and Arab World (incl. Palestine) 11 – 18 April.
Global Rally Against Israeli Apartheid on March 26th. “On this day, we will be joined by artists from around the world centering art and culture as critical arenas of our collective resistance to Israeli apartheid and all forms of racism and oppression. From dance, to music, to poetry, the rally will highlight the critical role that culture and art play in decolonizing our minds. This rally comes as part of the Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), which over the last 18 years has propelled discussion of Israeli apartheid and organizing for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns into the popular narrative in order to help bring an end to this crime against humanity.”
The BNC announces, “Fighting oppression and apartheid requires liberated minds… Only Liberated Minds Can Dismantle Apartheid… with liberated minds and souls, we embark on a radical process of hopeful, globalized resistance, transformation, and emancipation.”
The BNC claims, “Israel as an apartheid state is becoming increasingly mainstream, and we are witnessing unprecedented support for the cultural and academic boycott of Israel. Apartheid Israel is realizing that its South Africa moment is nearing.”
However, following the recent Amnesty International report accusing the Israeli authorities of enforcing apartheid policies, the US rejected this view. Ned Price, the State Department spokesperson, moved to “reject the view that Israel’s actions constitute apartheid. The Department’s own reports have never used such terminology.” Price also added that “it is important, as the world’s only Jewish state, that the Jewish people must not be denied their right to self-determination, and we must ensure there isn’t a double standard being applied.”
It is ironic that the Palestinians espouse slogans calling the “liberated minds” to fight oppression and apartheid and urging to perform a globalized resistance and emancipation. While such slogans may appeal to the transectional crowd on the campuses, which is a coalition of racial, ethnic minorities and LGBTQ groups. Trying to mainstream the Israeli apartheid equivalency is a hard slog. Amnesty International was harshly criticized for its double standards. Critics have pointed out that human rights groups have disproportionately targeted Israel while keeping silent about egregious human rights violators. This policy does not help the Palestinians who recently protested against their own authorities in the West Bank and Gaza. The human rights community’s unique obsession with Israel hurts millions of victims worldwide in desperate need of advocacy.
There are no campus activities published for the Israeli Apartheid Week yet. Once the program is announced, IAM would provide it to warn Jews and Israelis.
References:
ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK
#UnitedAgainstRacism
ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK
OVERVIEW
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is a tool for mobilizing grassroots support on the global level for the Palestinian struggle for justice. It is a grassroots mechanism to raise awareness about Israeli apartheid and to mobilize support for strategic BDS campaigns to help bring an end to this system of oppression.
IAW provides an opportunity to network and strengthen the links between the Palestinian liberation struggle and other struggles against racism, oppression, and discrimination. In 2022, as in every year since 2005, we will once again join our voices to denounce apartheid and celebrate our diversity. This year, we plan to shed light on the role of culture, and art in particular, in decolonizing our minds in our collective struggles against cultural appropriation and oppression. From March to April, communities around the globe will come together to organize inspiring actions and events to show that now, more than ever, we are #UnitedAgainstRacism.
| IAW Region | IAW Dates |
| Europe | 21-28 March |
| North America | 21-28 March |
| Africa | 21 March – 4 April |
| Asia-Pacific | 28 March – 4 April |
| Latin America | 11 – 18 April |
| Arab World (incl. Palestine) | 11 – 18 April |
To host an event for IAW in your community, fill out this form to register it with the International Coordinating Committee.Stay tuned for IAW program updates, including the registration link for our global Rally Against Israeli Apartheid on March 26th!
All Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) activities must conform to the BDS movement’s anti-racist principles and respect its affiliation guidelines.
2022 CALL OUT
Only Liberated Minds Can Dismantle Apartheid
“We are reminded that just as we fought together to defeat apartheid in South Africa, we need to forcefully challenge Israeli apartheid as it is deployed against the Palestinian people today.” – Angela Davis
Fighting oppression and apartheid requires liberated minds. This year, we plan to shed light on the role of culture, and art in particular, in decolonizing our minds in our collective struggles against cultural appropriation and oppression.
Under the banner United Against Racism, Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) this year celebrates cultures of resistance, exploring the intersectional ties between the Palestinian liberation struggle and global struggles for justice. In IAW, we promote BDS campaigning as the most effective form of solidarity with our struggle for freedom, and we share global experiences in countering cultural erasure and cultural imperialism.
This year, we are taking our actions back to the streets, campuses, and community spaces, wherever health and safety conditions allow.
Despite decades of ruthless Israeli ethnic cleansing and brutal repression, Palestinians from all parts of historic Palestine, as well as in exile, took to the streets last May to challenge Israel’s regime of occupation, apartheid and settler colonialism. In the process, we have dismantled psychological colonial walls that divide us.
Simultaneously, the recognition of Israel as an apartheid state is becoming increasingly mainstream, and we are witnessing unprecedented support for the cultural and academic boycott of Israel. Apartheid Israel is realizing that its South Africa moment is nearing.
More than two years of pandemic have revealed and worsened the existing global inequalities and destructive forces of racial capitalism, militarism, surveillance and other tools of oppression. Yet, affirming their profound aspiration for emancipation, communities have continued to resiliently resist oppression and struggle for social, racial, gender, economic and climate justice. They’ve insisted on freedom and dignity for all, building networks of people power and international solidarity across cultures and borders with inspiring creativity.
In this IAW, with liberated minds and souls, we embark on a radical process of hopeful, globalized resistance, transformation, and emancipation.
This year, IAW will take place between March 21st – April 18th across the globe, as we will be organizing a series of on-the-ground actions and online events.
2022 GLOBAL RALLY
Save the date for the 2022 Global Rally Against Israeli Apartheid on Saturday, March 26th at 10AM EST / 3PM GMT / 5PM Palestine!
On this day, we will be joined by artists from around the world centering art and culture as critical arenas of our collective resistance to Israeli apartheid and all forms of racism and oppression. From dance, to music, to poetry, the rally will highlight the critical role that culture and art play in decolonizing our minds.
This rally comes as part of the Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), which over the last 18 years has propelled discussion of Israeli apartheid and organizing for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns into the popular narrative in order to help bring an end to this crime against humanity.
This year, from March to April, communities around the globe will come together to organize inspiring IAW actions and events to show that now, more than ever, we are #UnitedAgainstRacism. For more information on Israeli Apartheid Week check out the website here.
This website is maintained by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the coalition of Palestinian organisations that leads and supports the BDS movement and by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a BNC member organisation.
israel-academia-monitor.com 