To the Editor:

The op-ed "Aim to promote human rights of the Palestinians" (Sunday) regarding the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel conference at the University of Pennsylvania, is typical of the attempts of the global BDS campaign to malign and delegitimize Israel.

This conference will be a one-sided polemic against Israel. No mention will be made of the devastating abuses of the Syrian and Iranian regimes, much less the despotism of Hamas and Hezbollah - both dedicated to the elimination of Israel, a vibrant center of modernity in a sea of repression.

The BDS campaign has been unsuccessful in its calls for divestment from Israel. Its call for unilateral action against Israel is counterproductive to achieving peace in the region, and flies in the face of the decades-long U.S. commitment to bilateral negotiations as the means to negotiate a two-state solution.

The local response to the conference has highlighted these flaws in a civil, clear, and consistent manner. Penn's student body overwhelmingly opposes BDS. The university administration has made clear its rejection of the call for divestment. And the local Jewish community has exposed the distortions of the BDS ideology.