Over 25 local municipalities and regional governments in the Spanish State, including in Catalunya and the Basque Country, have endorsed the BDS boycott of Israel and similar resolutions. Recent municipalities include Diputación of Sevilla, Badalona, Terrassa, Santiago de Compostela and last month in November, Cabildo of Gran Canaria.

 

One year ago Palestine solidarity organisations, human rights NGOs and BDS organisations in the Spanish State jointly launched the Apartheid Israel Free Municipalities campaign.

 

Other recent BDS related victories in Spain, including in the Basque Country and Catalunya, are:

 

1. In 2014 more than 1400 academic professors and researchers in Spain, including in the Basque Country and Catalunya, endorsed the academic boycott of Israel. This list has grown since then.

 

2. In May this year, after being called on by BDS supporters in Catalunya, Spanish singer Marinah Abad, cancelled her Israeli gig in support of the BDS cultural boycott of Israel.

3. Earlier this year in June, the University of Valencia’s Faculty of Geography & History unanimously adopted the BDS call while the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), this past week on the 17th of December 2015, also adopted a similar support for the BDS academic boycott of Israel.

 

4. In October 2015 the football club Sevilla FC rejected a €5 million Israel bid to publicize Israel on players’ T-shirts. 

 

 

The non-violent Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel campaign is indeed an international one. Being in the Spain and the Basque Country and learning of their campaigns, victories and achievements in the boycott of Israel as well as sharing our BDS successes from South Africa has motivated, energised and inspired all parties. We will indeed be entering 2016 more confident knowing that our movement spans various continents and includes peoples of all faiths and ethnicities from across the globe.