Why do some people consider the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement antisemitic?

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Antisemitism demonstration in Paris — antisemitism Demonstrators protesting antisemitism during a silent march in Paris. The march commemorated Mireille Knoll, a Jewish woman who had survived the Holocaust and was murdered in her home on March 23, 2018, in what authorities called a hate crime.

The question of whether the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is antisemitic is a subject of intense debate, often intersecting with broader discussions regarding the boundaries between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism.1

Critics who label the movement antisemitic often cite the following reasons:

Targeting the Jewish State: Many argue that by singling out the world’s only Jewish state for economic pressure, the movement is inherently discriminatory.1
Historical Origins: Some opponents trace the movement’s roots to the 1945 Arab League boycott of Jewish businesses, arguing this demonstrates an intent to target Jews generally rather than specific Israeli policies.1
Use of Tropes: Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League have noted that some BDS activists have employed classic antisemitic tropes, leading to the intimidation of Jewish individuals and supporters of Israel.1
Opposition to Zionism: Many critics, including some government officials, contend that anti-Zionism—which the movement promotes—is a form of antisemitism because it seeks to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination.1

Conversely, the BDS movement explicitly condemns antisemitism and maintains that its focus is on opposing Israeli government policies, which it characterizes as colonialism and apartheid. Supporters argue that charges of antisemitism are used to delegitimize their advocacy for Palestinian rights.1