We stand with Omar Barghouti against the silencing of dissent
Omar Barghouti is a prominent Palestinian human rights defender and co-founder of the BDS movement. The BDS movement originated in a call from a coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations for the world to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel until Palestinians have freedom and equal rights. We are honored to work with Omar, a compassionate & strategic visionary leader for justice.
The accusations against Omar Barghouti come in the context of an escalating campaign by the Israeli government to criminalize political dissent. Recently, it was reported that Israel would begin compiling a database Israelis who support boycotting the state, while a new law imposes a travel ban on foreign supporters of BDS from entering the country. As Haaretz reported recently, the Israeli Strategic Affairs ministry spends over $25 million on countering the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The Israeli government has been very open about its intent to silence Omar Barghouti in any way they can, including publicly threatening “targeted civil elimination.” This is the latest step in that direction.
This campaign of intimidation and investment of resources to fight BDS is a sign of the growing power of the movement, which seeks to put pressure on Israel to end its policies of occupation and apartheid.
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