Behind the Boycott | Page 14

The ineffectiveness of BDS can be seen in Israel ’ s diplomatic successes as well . Israeli diplomats and government officials have lately enjoyed closer ties with countries that are not traditional allies of the Jewish state . In recent years , Benjamin Netanyahu became the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to visit Australia , Singapore , and Kazakhstan , and made headlines traveling to Chad and Oman , two Muslim countries that have not seen an Israeli leader in the 21 st century . If orchestrating a new diplomatic isolation of Israel is a goal of the BDS movement , it is utterly failing to achieve that goal .
Even so , BDS presents a challenge , particularly on American college campuses . Anti-Israel activity and antisemitic incidents are on the rise . In recent years , there have been dozens of instances on campuses across the country of anti-Israel activists shouting down Israeli guest lecturers , staging walkouts , and attempting to block educational programming . Videos of many of these disruptions were distributed widely , amplifying protesters ’ messages , and turning disruptions into international propaganda . And dozens of campuses have also seen BDS resolutions brought before student government or put on the ballot for a student body referendum .
These instances often acquire antisemitic undertones . For example , during a divestment campaign at UC-Santa Cruz , an elected Jewish student
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