Pro-Palestinian protests are increasingly showing the power of the people.
The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has been applying nonviolent pressure on Israel to comply with international law since 2005. In the nearly one year since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that launched Israel’s latest war on Gaza, the BDS movement is beginning to see some notable successes.
Where governments have largely failed to hold Israel to account for its human rights atrocities, here’s how grassroots movements are making a difference.
1. American cities divest from Israel
In early September, the city council of Portland, Maine became the fourth U.S. city to vote to cut investments from companies doing business with Israel since Oct. 7.
While Portland Mayor Mark Dion said he understood Israel’s “desire for retribution,” he added that “our role collectively is to grab their shoulder and say, ‘It’s enough. It’s simply enough.’ And pull them away,” reported The Times of Israel.
Other U.S. cities such as Portland, Oregon; Berkeley, California; and St. Louis, Missouri have passed BDS measures focused on specific companies. But this marks the first time a U.S. city council fully endorsed a pro-BDS measure against Israel, Middle East Monitor reports.
Meanwhile, American activists from Ohio to Rhode Island are pushing their local and state governments to divest from Israeli bonds through the national Break the Bonds campaign. In Palm Beach County, Florida, residents have sued the county government for holding a record-breaking $700 million in Israeli bonds, the largest such investment in the world.
2. Scotiabank cuts shares in Elbit Systems by half
The asset manager for Scotiabank, a major bank based in Canada and the Americas, has halved its investments in an Israeli arms manufacturer following protests.
In 2023, 1832 Asset Management was the largest foreign shareholder in Elbit Systems, with more than 5% of shares. In recent quarters, the firm has dropped more than 40% of its investments to now holding 1.44% of Elbit’s shares.
Scotiabank says it can’t interfere in the investment decisions of 1832 Asset Management. It says these decisions are based on merit and not protests, the Financial Post reported.
The firm’s involvement with the arms maker led to protests in Toronto, where last November demonstrators also disrupted the Giller Prize Gala sponsored by Scotiabank.
3. Elbit-owned company in Massachusetts shut its doors
KMC Systems, an engineering company owned by top Israeli weapon maker Elbit Systems, has quietly left its office in Cambridge, Massachusetts after months of weekly pro-Palestinian protests, according to the Boston Globe.
The company had been in its Central Square building since 2021, and was expected to remain a tenant into 2025, Cambridge Day reported. Employees were previously reported to be working from home, but rumors that the company had been pushed out of its office have now been confirmed.
4. North American trade union divests from Israel
In August, the president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades announced the group’s international pension fund will divest from companies supporting the destruction in Gaza.
“In principle, I stand personally in support of calling for an end to the genocide that’s going on right now in Palestine,” said union president Jimmy Williams Jr. “This union does not support what’s going on in Gaza.”
5. Canadian, Irish and American universities divest from Israel
San Francisco State University will divest from Israeli weapon makers: After a three-week encampment, San Francisco State University agreed to move investments from three companies it says don’t meet its human rights standards. That means $163 million will be pulled from security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin, Italian-based military manufacturer Leonardo, as well as U.S. software company Palantir Technologies. The university is the first in the U.S. to negotiate publicly with students.
Sacramento State University pledged to divest from Israel: In May, Sacramento State became California’s first public university to agree to pull investments from companies that “profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights.” The university didn’t directly invest in such companies, students say, but vowed to drop indirect investments worth $4.5 million.
Ontario Tech University vows to review investments and add scholarships for Palestinian students: Also in May, Ontario Tech University became the first major Canadian school to sign an agreement with protestors. As a result, the university will disclose and review its investments, as well as fund three scholarships for Palestinians displaced by the war. The institution also said any student or faculty who joined the encampment will not face academic or professional retaliation.
Student union at Concordia University divests from Scotiabank: In a unanimous vote in spring, the student union at Montreal’s Concordia University pledged to drop investments with Scotiabank over its ties with Elbit Systems. The move, which was set to take effect by June’s end, meant the union would move its $10 million investment to Desjardins instead.
Irish students force Trinity College Dublin to divest from Israel: In May, Trinity College Dublin became one of the first universities to agree to cut ties with Israeli companies. Students blocked the front of the Book of Kells Museum–popular among tourists–leading to the student union being fined more than $230,000 for the loss of revenue. Following a five-night encampment, the university agreed to divest.
