The boycott was meant to isolate Israeli settlements - it is doing the opposite - opinion

An opinion piece argues that decades of boycotts against Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria have failed to change Israeli policy or stop settlement expansion, while paradoxically sparking a pro-Israel backlash in the United States, including state-level anti-BDS laws and federal legislation.

An opinion piece by Yigal Dilmoni, former CEO of the Yesha Council and current CEO of American Friends of Judea and Samaria, argues that the BDS movement's two-decade campaign to isolate Israeli settlements has backfired. The article asserts that boycotts have failed to stop settlement expansion, with hundreds of new companies and industrial zones established in Judea and Samaria over 25 years. It cites two case studies: Airbnb's 2018 decision to remove 200 settlement properties, reversed within six months after exposing the properties to global tourists; and Ben & Jerry's 2021 boycott, which led parent company Unilever to sell its Israeli business to the local licensee, who continued sales in settlements. The piece claims the boycott has generated a pro-Israel backlash in the United States, noting 37 states with anti-BDS laws and the US House passing the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act (237-169) on September 3, 2026, which targets academic institutions boycotting Israel. It reports American businesspeople approaching American Friends of Judea and Samaria for investment opportunities in Judea and Samaria as a response to British boycott efforts. The author frames the boycott as an opportunity to strengthen US-Israel ties and encourage American investment in Judea and Samaria.