Supporters of Israel, who have been vocal in their opposition to the conference, anticipate a hate-fest. They have launched their own campaign, including discussion groups to advocate for Israel, and a "solidarity evening" Thursday headlined by a prominent defender of Israel, the Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Penn officials have had to walk a tightrope.
"Issues around open expression are always among the most challenging on a university campus," Penn president Amy Gutmann and board chairman David L. Cohen wrote in a memo sent Monday to Penn's overseers.
Since word of the conference began circulating in December, university officials have felt the heat from concerned alumni and donors.
"We adamantly oppose" the tactics urged by BDS supporters, Cohen and Gutmann wrote. "At the same time we recognize and respect their right to open expression. Just because we disagree - in this case, strongly and deeply - with what they advocate does not mean they lose their right to voice their opinions."
Said to number fewer than 20 active members, PennBDS is part of the seven-year-old international BDS movement, which came into being after the World Court ruled that Israel's separation barrier along the West Bank violated international law.
In an attempt to pressure Israel to comply, and to recognize Palestinian rights, BDS founders adopted the model of the antiapartheid boycott movement against South Africa in the 1980s.
In addition to avoiding Israeli-made goods, BDS urges divestment from companies whose products help Israel maintain its military control over disputed land in the West Bank.
