2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

ISRAEL AT RISK
2002 alone, Palestinian terrorists murdered more than 300 Israelis and wounded nearly 5,000.
The barrier, most of which runs along Israel’s 1949 armistice line with the Palestinians, has been
remarkably effective in eliminating suicide attacks inside Israel.
Yet in 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague voted overwhelmingly to
condemn the barrier, claiming that it would bring undue suffering to Palestinian civilians. The
ICJ blithely dismissed the Jewish state’s argument that the barrier would save Israeli lives. “This
is a dark day for the International Court of Justice and the international legal system,” said Dan
Gillerman, then-Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. “It is shocking and appalling that in
all the 60-plus pages of the opinion, the court failed to address the essence of the problem and
the very reason for building the fence—the indiscriminate and murderous campaign of terror that
Israelis are facing.”
Most Arab States Refuse to Recognize Israel
Today, Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with only 2 of the 22 states that compose the
Arab League: Egypt and Jordan. Many of the 20 remaining Arab states refuse relations with
Israel, refuse to recognize the Jewish state and maintain a persistent propaganda campaign
through their state-sponsored media and educational systems that seek to present Israel as
inherently illegitimate. In addition, the Arab League maintains an official boycott against Israel—a
potent symbol of the Arab world’s refusal to accept the Jewish state in its midst. While multiple
United States presidents, including President Obama, have called on Arab states to undertake
peace gestures, most have yet to do so.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign
In 2005, Palestinian activists, with the support of some 170 Palestinian organizations, launched
a global campaign aimed at persuading countries and organizations of all kinds to boycott,
divest and sanction (BDS) Israel. The BDS campaign, as it came to be known, spread to countries
throughout the world, particularly Europe, and has gained traction on some American campuses.
The campaign has taken various forms: boycotts against Israeli universities, Israeli products,
Israeli sports teams, Israeli cultural events and celebrities traveling to or supporting Israel. The
goal is to treat Israel as a pariah nation.
In Britain, for example, some professors have refused to work with their Israeli counterparts
or to engage in any academic exchange that constitutes a normal part of university life. Ahava,
an Israeli skin care company, closed its store in London in 2011 because of constant protests.
98