Although the strategy of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions conjures an image of an economic war against Israel, the truth is that the psychological effect of the BDS movement is far more insidious.
Studies typically show that Israel’s economy is resilient enough to withstand the limited effects of BDS. But every time a boycott is called or a divestment measure goes to a vote at a university, it reinforces the psychological position that Israel does not deserve a place among the nations.
In a column in Haaretz this week, BDS supporter Roy Isacowitz, promotes the psychological dimension of BDS as a vital part of the strategy.
Writing specifically about sanctions, Isacowitz notes:
Sanctions are effective in four ways: They impact a country’s economy, they impact the personal finances of specific individuals, often those most invested in the system, they send the message that the country’s policies are unacceptable to the wider world and they damage the self-esteem of those being boycotted.
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Amplifying how the psychological effect impacts policy, Isacowitz looks at the example of South Africa.
The effect of the sports boycott on sports-mad South Africa in the Seventies and Eighties was devastating. For one of the world’s top two rugby teams, being unable to play international rugby was both hurtful and humiliating. Did it bring down apartheid? No. it didn’t. But it certainly brought home the message that apartheid was beyond the pale and it promised a woeful future. Those are not the sort of things one finds in a spreadsheet, but their practical significance was enormous.
Isacowitz makes an important point, one that needs to be integrated into any effort to counter BDS. It’s not enough to address the economic effects of a boycott; it’s vital to address the psychological effects as well, perhaps even more important.
That means that buying Israeli goods is a positive move against BDS, but doing so publicly in an effort to promote Israel’s image is even better. Attending rallies, organizing counter-protests, and speaking out against BDS measures against Israel all demonstrate that Israel has support across the world, undermining the BDS message that the Israeli people are alone in the world.
Image: CC BY-NC-SA Jared Rodriguez/Truthout (via flickr)
