Feminists Against Ableism PACBI statement

In total solidarity with the people of Palestine, Feminists Against Ableism commits to adhering to the Palestinian international call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and to complying with the underlying guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

As a collective, we acknowledge that Palestinian liberation is disability justice. Collective liberation is the only way we can move forward, while leaving no one behind. Feminists Against Ableism stands in solidarity with not just disabled Palestinians, but all Palestinians, since they are actively disabled by Israel’s settler colonialism, military occupation, imprisonment, and apartheid. Disability justice means free Palestine.

In our organizational and individual capacities we therefore commit to:

•  Refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration, or joint projects with Israeli institutions;
•  Advocate a comprehensive boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels, including suspension of all forms of funding and subsidies to these institutions;
•  Promote divestment and disinvestment from the state of Israel by international academic institutions;
•  Work toward the condemnation of Israeli policies by pressing for resolutions to be adopted by academic, professional and cultural associations and organizations;
•  Support Palestinian academic and cultural institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as an explicit or implicit condition for such support.

The BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, sexuality, or religion) or opinion. Mere affiliation of Israeli cultural workers to an Israeli cultural institution is therefore not grounds for applying the boycott. If, however, an individual is representing the state of Israel or a complicit Israeli institution, or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to “rebrand” itself, then their activities are subject to the institutional boycott the BDS movement is calling for.

More information available at https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi.