Organize Your Workplace

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement?

  • BDS is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice, and equality inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement.
  • BDS aims to dismantle Israel’s oppression of Palestinians by boycotting products, divesting from institutions, and sanctioning Israel until it meets three demands:
    • an end to the illegal occupation of Palestinian land;
    • equal rights for all Palestinians;
    • the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Why a food boycott?

The U.S. is the biggest importer of Israeli food products—in 2019 alone, the U.S. imported $396 million in agricultural products from Israel. Through this food boycott, we have the power to reduce Israel’s financial resources.

Food boycotts have been used successfully throughout history to put economic pressure on companies contributing to injustice.

  • Food products were part of the anti-apartheid movement that targeted South Africa. Major corporations like Coca-Cola were boycott targets, as were smaller companies that exported foods like lentils, fruits, and alcohol.
  • During the United Farm Workers (UFW) strike in the 1960s, about 14 million Americans boycotted table grapes to protest low wages and poor working conditions. This caused major grape growers to negotiate and sign contracts with UFW.
  • In the 1970s, consumers boycotted Nestlé over their predatory marketing of baby formula in the Global South. This boycott led to the World Health Organization developing rules on marketing baby formula.

Why Asheville? Why North Carolina?

  • In Asheville, the $1,424,415 that our tax dollars contribute to Israel's weapons could instead provide: 169 households with public housing for a year; 495 children with free or low-cost healthcare; 15 elementary school teachers; 4,055 homes with solar electricity for a year; 37 students with loan debt cancelled; 1,238,622 N95 respirator masks. (http://notmytaxdollars.org) North Carolina contributes a whopping $91,775,098 in total.
  • North Carolina has passed anti-BDS laws that violate our right to free speech and freedom of expression. Currently, these laws only target businesses with government contracts.
  • NC police have trained with the IOF, bringing brutal tactics back home to our streets to be used on local marginalized communities.
  • We recognize the interconnected and overlapping oppressions as NC attemps to ban masks following protests for Palestine. This hurts everyone, especially disabled community members.

What products are we boycotting?

  • Sabra hummus: They provide financial and material support to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
  • Israeli dates: Approximately 40% of Israeli dates are grown in illegal settlements, often using exploited Palestinian labor.
  • Israeli wines: North America is the largest importer of Israeli wines. Israeli wineries often operate in illegal settlements or use settlement-grown grapes.
  • Any Produce Labeled “Made In Israel.”
  • You can find a full list of Israeli food products to boycott on our Boycott page.

My business doesn’t sell the products on your target list. Can I still be involved?

  • Yes! While our campaign is focused on agricultural products and the stores that sell them, any business owner can sign our pledge and join the campaign as a “solidarity store.” This means you agree to do your own inventory of ways to divest from Israel.
  • Once you sign the pledge, we’ll provide you with a poster for your storefront and/or a logo for your website, and include you on our business map as a solidarity store.
  • If you want to get even more involved, you can display educational materials in your store, link to our campaign from your website, or host campaign events! An organizer from the campaign will follow up with you shortly after you sign the pledge.

How do these Israeli food products violate Palestinian rights?

All Israeli products violate Palestinian rights in some way:

  • They are grown or manufactured on stolen Palestinian land.
  • The taxes from sales of these products are used to fund the Israeli military.

Is there a way I can check if a product should be boycotted?

The following are three helpful apps for identifying products and companies on the boycott list. You can also visit the BDSmovement.net for more informational on the global boycott movement.