PACBI Statement

In total solidarity with the people of Palestine, SEEN commits to adhering to the Palestinian international call for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) and to complying with the underlying guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

In our organisational and individual capacities we therefore commit to:

• Refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration, or joint projects with Israeli institutions;

• Advocate a comprehensive boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels, including suspension of all forms of funding and subsidies to these institutions;

• Promote divestment and disinvestment from the state of Israel by international academic institutions;

• Work toward the condemnation of Israeli policies by pressing for resolutions to be adopted by academic, professional and cultural associations and organisations;

• Support Palestinian academic and cultural institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as an explicit or implicit condition for such support.

The BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, sexuality, or religion) or opinion. Mere affiliation of Israeli cultural workers to an Israeli cultural institution is therefore not grounds for applying the boycott. If, however, an individual is representing the state of Israel or a complicit Israeli institution, or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to “rebrand” itself, then their activities are subject to the institutional boycott the BDS movement is calling for.

More information available at https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi.

As a media outlet ourselves we urge magazines and platforms to heed this boycott call as we witness the role the media class and corporations of the ‘Global North’ have played in furthering the dehumanisation of Palestinians as well as undermining the legitimacy of the Palestinian National Liberation struggle.

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