Many calls for boycott of Israeli goods have gained traction during Israel’s most recent violence against Palestinians in Gaza, which is considered an ongoing genocide by many experts. However, as the BDS national committee (BNC) has emphasized, “We must strategically focus on a relatively smaller number of carefully selected companies and products for maximum impact.”
In this guide, we frame some strategic focal points in boycott efforts here in the United States. Companies that have emerged on various boycott lists fall into a few categories: companies with explicit complicity in oppression or apartheid, companies with indirect complicity in Israeli apartheid, and companies with problematic leadership that support Zionist oppression and repression in and outside of Palestine.
While many boycott lists exist, we provide some guidance here for student groups, unions, everyday consumers, and other institutions to focus their boycott campaigns, particularly in the United States.
In our Other Boycotts section, we list out the many sources for existing boycott efforts (website, apps, etc.), but we encourage individuals, organizers, and campaign leaders to prioritize companies with explicit connections to apartheid and a select few with indirect but important ties to the Zionist project. Groups may also focus on companies with particular presence in their local context, especially for direct action.
For companies with less explicit ties and not included on the BNC list, we encourage individuals to make their own decision about boycotts. However, influencers and campaign leaders should be wary about weakening boycott efforts with too many targets. We call on allies to uplift the core targets of our collective boycott campaigns.