This paper is part of a broader project examining the discourses surrounding and mechanisms of the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement against the Israeli occupation. Drawing on data collected through several dozen in-depth participant interviews and content analysis of movement publications (newsletters, email updates, websites, etc), the paper explores the mechanisms through which the BDS movement operates. After providing an overview of social movement theory, theories of nonviolent resistance, and discourse theory as they relate to the goals and operation of social change groups, the paper discusses three cases of activist groups that have organized using tactics of boycott, divestment, and sanctions in the wake of the 2005 call by Palestinian civil society groups for international civil society to engage in BDS against Israel’s occupation. In particular, the paper traces out how the activists in three cases of focus seek to effect change using BDS tactics and the extent to which these mechanisms have an impact on local, regional, or international actors or policies related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Comparing between the cases of focus, the paper explores the extent to which BDS activists operate as a movement rather than individual autonomous groups, and assesses how its mechanisms of change differ from other areas of activism related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the concluding sections, the paper provides an initial analysis of the mechanisms of this movement and reflects on why it has been viewed as threatening by influential Israeli think tanks and political actors.