Boycott. Divestment. Sanctions. These three terms are at the heart of the current campaign led by Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) Carleton. BDS is a campaign that seeks to impose broad boycotts of Israeli products and initiate divestment against Israel, until Israel meets the demands of the movement.

As a believer in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two states for two peoples, I strongly disagree with the fundamental values associated with the BDS campaign. Prior to delving into the factors that influence my opinion on the subject, I would like to state clearly that the position I have taken is not compelled by a desire to protect Israel from criticism. Instead my objection to the BDS movement is driven by my belief in the art of dialogue both in the Middle East and on campus, an element which is not tangible in advocating BDS.

SAIA is calling on the Carleton University Board of Governors and Pension Fund Committee to develop a socially responsible investment (SRI) policy which would divest from the following companies: Motorola, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications and Tesco. SAIA has suggested that these companies support Israel through investments in the production of weaponry used in warfare and therefore violate human rights and possibly break international law.

With an Israeli divestment campaign underway on campus, a group of Carleton faculty members have banded together to support Palestinian human rights.

Twenty-four current and retired faculty members have joined the group, which is part of a network of similar groups across the country called Faculty for Palestine, according to group member and Carleton sociology and anthropology professor Nahla Abdo.

“It started out of recognition for the need to establish a freedom of expression at [Carleton] itself,” Abdo said.

The group, which was founded almost four months ago, has issued a pamphlet calling on Israel to  end its “occupation and colonization of all Arab lands,” recognize “the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality,” and respect the “rights of Palestinian refuges to return to their homes and properties.”