BDS Australia[1] is the internationally recognised national coalition of pro-Palestine associations, dedicated to informing and raising awareness in the Australian community in support of a just peace for the Palestinian people. This national body was founded in 2017 with the participation of activists from around Australia.
BDS Australia is part of the worldwide movement established in 2005 by Palestinian civil society organisations that called for international solidarity to expose and take non-violent action against Israeli state abuses of Palestinians and their rights under international law and the many corporate entities that benefit from the illegal occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This call was inspired by the success of the South African anti-apartheid movement.
BDS Australia organises and implements Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) initiatives as part of the international non-violent effort to pressure the state of Israel to end the illegal occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza and to respect the rights of all Palestinians according to international law and human rights conventions.
BDS is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. It is based on the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.
BDS is now a vibrant global movement made up of unions, academic associations, churches and grassroots movements throughout the world. BDS is having a major impact and is effectively challenging international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.
BDS aims to end the ever-expanding illegal colonial settlements, the apartheid wall and the illegal blockade of Gaza. It also campaigns against the Israeli refusal to allow Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to Israel/Palestine, and the legal discrimination against Palestinians within Israel that makes them second-class citizens.
We take the successful twentieth century international boycott movement against South African apartheid as our inspiration, where trade and investment, along with cultural, sporting and academic ties, were shunned by people, unions, universities, churches and eventually governments until apartheid was ended in 1994.
BDS Australia member organisations:
Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA)
Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine (CJPP)
Australian Palestinian Professionals Association (APPA)
Friends of Hebron (FOH)
Jews Against the Occupation (JAO)
Women for Palestine
Australians for Palestine (AFP)
Friends of Palestine WA (FOPWA)
Justice for Palestine, Brisbane (JFP)
Students for Palestine, Australia (SFP)
Australian Palestinian Club (APC)
General Union of Palestinian Workers
Our current major campaigns:
- Boycott Hewlett Packard (HP) the company that provides technology to underpin Israel’s occupation, apartheid and oppression of Palestinians.
- Boycott Puma (add content and link)
[1] BDS Australia is registered as Palestine Support Network Australia.
