[MikeWaters]

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...eace_deal.html

BTI’s first public move came in late January, when major European banks and funds divested from Israeli banks and companies. At that time, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund reissued a ban on two Israeli companies involved in settlement construction in East Jerusalem: PGGM, a large Dutch pension fund, divested from five major Israeli banks because of their business in the West Bank. Danske, a major Danish bank, divested from Hapoalim, Israel’s largest bank.

The European decisions gave a big boost to the BDS movement, which advocates boycotts, divestment, and sanctions to change Israeli policy. The policy hasn’t changed yet, but BTI’s emergence shows Israeli politics are shifting. In a country that takes great pride in its entrepreneurs and business elite, hundreds of Israeli tycoons and tech leaders are pressuring the government to sign an agreement with the Palestinians.