Critics of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement have long argued that its true aim is the delegitimization of Israel rather than the advancement of Arab rights. A new study released on Thursday by a Jewish investor network affiliated with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) provides compelling evidence supporting this claim.

According to JLens, financial costs universities would incur if they capitulated to BDS demands would be astronomical. Harvard stands to lose $2.5 billion, while the University of Texas would forfeit $2.2 billion. Overall, 100 of the largest universities in America would lose a staggering $33.21 billion in lost returns over the next decade. Such losses would inevitably lead to cuts in research funding, scholarships, and educational programs. All outcomes that hardly benefit Arabs or anyone else for that matter.

However, beyond the eye-watering numbers, the JLens study reveals a pattern of behavior that undermines BDS’s credibility as a legitimate advocate for Arab interests.

BDS proponents often act shadily, maintaining companies on their “target list” long after they’ve ceased operations in Israel. For instance, Microsoft remains a BDS target four years after selling its stake in an Israeli software company. Perhaps most tellingly, BDS seems unconcerned with the potential collateral damage to global innovation and progress. Israeli companies have been at the forefront of advancements in technology, medicine, and environmental science.

Earning its reputation as the “Startup Nation,” over 6,000 high-tech corporations make up nearly 50% of the country’s total exports. In the medical sector, the country is home to more than 1,500 groundbreaking medical technology research companies. On the environmental front, Israel recycles 90% of its wastewater, the highest in the world, and is a leader in agritech innovation with annual exports estimated at $3 billion.

The evidence is clear. BDS is not about improving Palestinian lives or fostering a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, it’s a thinly veiled attempt to isolate and destroy the one and only Jewish State, even if it means sacrificing academic excellence, financial stability, and global innovation in the process.