Recent comments made in South Africa by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation), regarding the boycott of Israeli settlements and products, seem to have been taken out of context and misconstrued by some members of the media and members of the Israeli lobby. Some journalists and Israeli lobbyists have reported that President Abbas, at a South African press conference, said that he is opposed to the international boycott. This is untrue.

As the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement passes the eight year point since the 2005 Call, the 54^th issue of al-Majdal evaluates its progress and remarks on areas for development, and spotlights current initiatives attempting to build an effective practice of the BDS tactic.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the largest coalition of Palestinian civil society, applauds Vitens, the largest supplier of drinking water in the Netherlands, for the decision to end its cooperation agreement with Israel’s national water company Mekorot because of Vitens’ commitment to international law.[1]

The BNC also commends the Dutch foreign ministry, who had advised Vitens about the cooperation and in general discourages financial transactions with illegal Israeli settlements.

In Rome, on December 7, for the Italian “National Boycott Sodastream Day”, 20 activists from the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign organized an action against the sale of Sodastream products at a retailer of the Expert appliance chain...