A Debate on the Boycott of Israel: Path to a Just Peace or War by Other Means?

A Debate on the Boycott of Israel: Path to a Just Peace or War by Other Means? October 25, 2010, 7:00 PM
Location: 360 Tory Building, Carleton University
 
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel has proven to be an extremely contentious issue on campuses around the world. Its supporters see it as an effective means for upholding international law and securing human rights. Its critics see it as rife with double-standards, an obstacle to peace, or even war by other means.
 
The Carleton University Department of Law, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Department of Political Science, and Institute of Political Economy are pleased to present a debate between Omar Barghouti and Daniel Kofman which explores the question:
 
Is BDS an effective and fair means to bring about a just peace in Israel/ Palestine?
 
Omar Barghouti is an independent Palestinian researcher, commentator and human rights activist committed to upholding international law and universal human rights. He is a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the Palestinian Civil Society Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. He holds a bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Columbia University, NY, and a master's degree in philosophy (ethics) from Tel Aviv University.
 
Daniel Kofman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Ottawa. He was previously a lecturer in philosophy for eight years at Oxford University, where he wrote his dissertation on the national right to self-determination (the subject of a forthcoming book and several published articles). Daniel lived in Israel for several years, where he wrote for both Israeli and foreign newspapers, and was active for a time in the Progressive List for Peace, a joint Jewish and Arab party headed by Matti Peled and Muhammed Mi'ari.