The Delegitimization Threat: Roots, Manifestations, and Containment
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[Abstract]
In his address before the AIPAC Policy Conference on May 22, 2011, President Barack Obama stated, “You also see our commitment to Israel’s security in our steadfast opposition to any attempt to delegitimize the State of Israel.” Quoting from a previous statement to the United Nations General Assembly, the President asserted that “efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States.” In a major policy address delivered three days earlier on the Middle East and North Africa, President Obama emphasized that “for the Palestinians, efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure.”
The recurring references by the President of the United States to efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel testify to the salience of the issue in any current discussion of Israel’s national security. This paper describes and analyzes the delegitimization threat: it traces the roots of delegitimization, attempts to define what constitutes delegitimization, and examines the two main components of current delegitimization efforts – BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) and lawfare. It then assesses the actual damage and threat to Israel posed by these efforts and looks at possible responses available to Israel.
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