WThe Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations under international law, defined as withdrawal from the occupied territories, removal of the separation barrier in the West Bank, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and "respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties". The movement is organized and coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee.
WOn June 20, 2017, BDS activists, including at least two Israeli Jews and at least one Palestinian, disrupted a lecture by Israeli politician Aliza Lavie taking place at Humboldt University in Berlin. Humboldt University was not the organizer of the lecture. The activists expressed accusations against Israel and Lavie, including accusations of war crimes and apartheid. The activists were then removed from the lecture hall.
WOmar Barghouti is a founding committee member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and a co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. He received the Gandhi Peace Award in 2017.
WReactions to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) refer to the views of international actors on the BDS movement.
WThe Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song "Toy" by Netta. It was the third time Israel had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1979 and 1999 – both times in Jerusalem. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), the contest was held at Expo Tel Aviv, and consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May, and the final on 18 May 2019. The three live shows were presented by Erez Tal, Bar Refaeli, Assi Azar and Lucy Ayoub.
WThe Israel Anti-Boycott Act (IABA) was a proposed anti-BDS law and amendment to the Export Administration Act of 1979 designed to allow U.S. states to enact laws requiring contractors to sign pledges promising not to boycott any goods from Israel, or their contracts would be terminated.
WThe Melodrama World Tour was the second concert tour by New Zealand singer Lorde, undertaken in support of her second studio album, Melodrama (2017). Lorde headlined several music festivals before commencing the tour, and went on to communicate frequently with stage designer Es Devlin to plan the show's design. European shows began in September 2017, followed by dates in Oceania and a solo trek through North America. Dates in other European cities soon followed along with various festival performances.
WThe Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy is an Israeli government ministry headed by Michael Biton, and responsible for leading the campaign against the BDS movement. It was closed with the 36th government of Israel.