PACBI
Echo Thread Projects unequivocally believes in a free Palestine and joins other literary and creative groups in condemning the ongoing genocide at the hands of the Israel, funded by the United States. Palestinians have been subjected to Western Imperialism through the arm of a settler colonial apartheid system enforced by the state of Israel for the past several decades. In joining the collective efforts of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding group of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee, we stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and their resistance to genocide in their path towards liberation.
Our focus on amplifying BIPOC creatives requires awareness and acknowledgement of historical atrocities enacted upon indigenous peoples across the world and the aftermath which followed. Through collective efforts and meaningful forms of pressure, we join the Palestinian struggle for justice, freedom, and equality, and strive to push for the same for all. We add our voice to those calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, for an end to the occupation, and for a free and sovereign Palestine. We feel it is our responsibility to join other writers, artists, and publishers in order to imagine new and liberated futures and uphold these beliefs.
Echo Thread Projects and its imprints (Echo Thread Books / Echo Thread Sounds) therefore commit to:
• Refrain from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration, or joint projects with Israeli institutions;
• Refrain from participating in any project that seeks to “normalize” Israel's oppression against Palestinians and/or the dehumanization of Palestinians, in line with BDS anti-normalization guidelines;
• Advocate a comprehensive boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels, including suspension of all forms of funding and subsidies to these institutions;
• Promote divestment and disinvestment from the state of Israel by international academic institutions;
• Work toward the condemnation of Israel's occupation normalization policies by pressing for resolutions to be adopted by academic, professional and cultural associations and organizations;
• Support Palestinian academic and cultural institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as an explicit or implicit condition for such support.
The BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, sexuality, or religion) or opinion. Zionism has been dangerously conflated with the Jewish identity, and our solidarity with the Palestinian people places our position as one against the Zionist entity and imperialist structures. We denounce rising Islamophobia and denounce anti-Semitism. Mere affiliation of Israeli cultural workers to an Israeli cultural institution is therefore not grounds for applying the boycott. If, however, an individual is representing the state of Israel or a complicit Israeli institution, or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to “rebrand” itself, then their activities are subject to the institutional boycott the BDS movement is calling for.
If you are an arts organization, writer, or producer/vendor of cultural materials and are considering endorsing PACBI or have questions about how to get organized, please reach out.
More information available at https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi.