What are the major achievements so far of the BDS movement against Israel ?

There are some pretty powerful elements in the world that are active in the matter – within countries, including friendly countries, in various organizations of workers, academics, consumers, green parties…and this drive boils down to a large movement called BDS, which is what they did with South Africa. It won’t happen at once. It will begin, like an iceberg, to advance on us from all corners.” – Ehud Barak, 2011.

When it comes to the effectiveness of BDS, you will find that arguments range from calling the movement “flimsy” and ineffective, all the way to calling it an “existential threat” to the very survival of the Israeli state.
Concretely measuring the effectiveness of the BDS movement is difficult, because many of its effects are non-material in nature. For example, how does one quantify the cancellation of a concert or conference in Israel? Simply looking at the loss of potential income is inadequate to reflect the psychological or discursive effects of such an event. Even more complicated is measuring the reluctance to host Israelis or any other action involving Israel simply due to a desire to avoid controversy, rather than actually being part of the boycott movement.
On the economic front, there are more tools to measure losses. For instance, a study carried out by the RAND corporation, entitled “The costs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” estimates that if the current trends continue, BDS would escalate in the next decade to cost Israel close to 2% of its GDP, around 9 billion dollars per year. It should be noted that this was calculated mainly in opportunity costs rather than in direct damage. However, it is once again important to stress that there are many aspects and potential loss of business that cannot be anticipated or accounted for.
We can argue at length about these points, however, there are signs that Israel’s fear of the BDS campaign is genuine. The responsibility for combating the campaign has been moved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Strategic Affairs. This is the same ministry responsible for tackling urgent matters relating to Israel’s national security. Pro-Israel mega donors have hosted secret conferences to come up with and fund strategies to combat BDS all over the globe. Israeli lobbying groups have worked hard to push for the criminalization of BDS in some American states.
Why go to all of these lengths if Israel perceives BDS as powerless and ineffective?
Because the real power of the BDS movement lies outside its material effects. Yes, some economic pressure on Israel is good, but nobody was arguing that the BDS movement was going to topple the Israeli economy, nor were they arguing that BDS alone would liberate Palestine. The effectiveness of BDS stems from its ability to raise awareness, speak truth to power, and bring to light parallels that Israel cannot combat. The discursive ability of BDS to shift the conversation, as well as its non-violent and mass participatory nature, make it a much bigger threat to Israel than the loss of a few billion dollars. This is where its strength lies, and as it becomes more mainstream among activists and campuses all over the world, this strength will only grow.
Nevertheless, thanks to the strategic campaigning of people and organisations all over the world, the global BDS movement is having a real impact. For example:​
  • BDS was a major factor behind the 46% drop in foreign direct investment in Israel in 2014, according to a UN report. A Rand Corporation study predicts BDS could reduce Israel’s GDP “by 1 to 2 percent” annually over the next 10 years, while a World Bank report reveals that Israel’s exports to the Palestinian economy have dropped by 24% in the first quarter of 2015.
  • French multinational Veolia has completely withdrawn from Israel after a BDS campaign over its role in Israel’s colonisation of Palestinian land cost it billions of dollars in lost contracts.
  • Top Israeli weapons manufacturers complain of a plummeting exports “crisis,” partly due to “less desire for Israeli-made products.”
  • Major international companies including Orange, G4S and Unilever have announced steps to end their participation in Israel’s crimes.
  • Thousands of artists including Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, Faithless, Lauryn Hill, Brian Eno and Elvis Costello have refused to play in Israel.
  • Academic associations and student unions, most notably in the US, Canada, South Africa and the UK, now support BDS. A number of churches have divested from companies involved in Israel’s occupation.
  • Israel regards BDS as a “strategic threat” to its ongoing oppression of Palestinians. Some Israelis are calling for modest changes to Israeli policy.