Israel Boycott (Also see BDS – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions)
Updated 2024-07-25
Anti-BDS laws – Wikipedia With regard to the Arab–Israeli conflict, many supporters of the State of Israel have often advocated or implemented anti-BDS laws (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), which effectively seek to retaliate against people and organizations engaged in boycotts of Israel-affiliated entities. Most organized boycotts of Israel have been led by Palestinians and other Arabs with support from much of the Muslim world. Since the Second Intifada in particular, these efforts have primarily been coordinated at an international level by the Palestinian-led BDS movement (“Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions”), which seeks to mount as much economic pressure on Israel as possible until the Israeli government allows an independent Palestinian state to be established.[1] Anti-BDS laws are designed to make it difficult for anti-Israel people and organizations to participate in boycotts; anti-BDS legal resolutions are symbolic and non-binding parliamentary condemnations, either of boycotts of Israel or of the BDS movement itself. Generally, such condemnations accuse BDS of closeted antisemitism, charging it with pushing a double standard and lobbying for the de-legitimization of Israeli sovereignty, and are often followed by laws targeting boycotts of Israel.
Proponents of anti-BDS laws claim that BDS is a form of antisemitism, and so such laws legislate against hate speech. Opponents claim that Israel’s supporters are engaging in lawfare by lobbying for anti-BDS laws that infringe upon the right to free speech, and conflating anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel with antisemitism.[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-BDS_laws
U.S States with Laws Against Aid if Communities Boycott Israel https://www.instagram.com/p/C4jbL2NvYWm/
2022-06-23 US appeals court rules that laws against Israel boycotts don’t violate Constitution Ruling by St. Louis-based Eighth Circuit court is a major victory for pro-Israel activists who have pushed some 30 states to adopt anti-BDS laws’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-appeals-court-rules-that-laws-against-israel-boycotts-dont-violate-constitution/
2019-06-27 BDS under fire: Does your state have anti-boycott legislation? A myriad of organisations and people across the United States, from faith-based groups to student and labour unions, have signed on to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
What exactly does BDS stand for? Founded in 2005, the Palestinian-led movement seeks to pressure Israel to end its abuses against Palestinians through economic boycotts and other non-violent means.
Yet just as quickly as BDS has gained momentum in the US, so too have efforts to restrict Israel boycotts. One of the key ways Israel’s supporters have done this is by pushing for legislation that would limit companies, non-profit entities and individuals from boycotting Israel at the state level.
Middle East Eye has dug up anti-BDS resolutions, bills, laws and executive orders in each state across the US. Using this interactive map below, find out: Example:
CALIFORNIA The law: • Requires businesses entering into contracts with the state worth more than $100,000 to pledge they aren’t violating California’s anti-discrimination laws • Requires these businesses to pledge they don’t have policies against “the nation and people of Israel”
It was: • Passed by the state legislature in 2016 – and remains in effect https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/US-states-anti-Israel-boycott-legislation-BDS-map-palestine
2019-04-23 US: States Use Anti-Boycott Laws to Punish Responsible Businesses “States with anti-boycott laws are effectively telling companies that if you do the right thing and disentangle yourselves from settlement abuses, you can’t do business with us,” said Andrea Prasow, deputy US advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “States should encourage, not sanction, companies that avoid contributing to rights abuses.”
Many United States states are using anti-boycott laws and executive orders to punish companies that refuse to do business with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Human Rights Watch said today. More than 250 million Americans, some 78 percent of the population, live in states with anti-boycott laws or policies.
Twenty-seven states have adopted laws or policies that penalize businesses, organizations, or individuals that engage in or call for boycotts against Israel. The laws or policies in 17 of those states explicitly target not only companies that refuse to do business in or with Israel, but also those that refuse to do business in Israeli settlements. Some states whose laws do not explicitly apply to settlements have also penalized companies that cut settlement ties.
In January 2019, the US Senate passed a bill that endorsed state anti-boycott legislation, including those that encompass settlement business activity. In March, federal lawmakers introduced resolutions in both the Senate and House to condemn boycotts of Israel. None of these initiatives has yet to become US law. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/23/us-states-use-anti-boycott-laws-punish-responsible-businesses
.
Categorized Directory: News and Articles about Israel- Palestine Conflict
.
progressiveissuesblog 