September 29, 2016

13 states bar contracts to firms that boycott apartheid Israel

Mondoweiss - In a victory for Israel advocates, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

Brown’s signature makes California the 13th state to enact an anti-BDS measure, most of which bar state contracts or pension funds from going to entities–non-profits or corporations–that support BDS. (12 of those states, including California, passed the law through the normal legislative process. In New York, though, Governor Andrew Cuomo bypassed the legislature and signed an executive order barring state funds from flowing to entities that support BDS.)

California’s law is slightly different than other states’ in that it requires a company who receives a state contract over $100,000 to certify, under penalty of perjury, that any policy they have against Israel, including a boycott, is not discriminatory. Legal organizations against the bill–the Center for Constitutional Rights, Palestine Legal and the National Lawyers Guild–have criticized the language as potentially leading to a floodgate of “complaints, investigations, and possible felony prosecutions into the thoughts and beliefs motivating a prospective contractor’s support for Palestinian human rights,” as they wrote in a letter opposing the bill.
In a victory for Israel advocates, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill against the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement on Saturday.
Brown’s signature makes California the 13th state to enact an anti-BDS measure, most of which bar state contracts or pension funds from going to entities–non-profits or corporations–that support BDS. (12 of those states, including California, passed the law through the normal legislative process. In New York, though, Governor Andrew Cuomo bypassed the legislature and signed an executive order barring state funds from flowing to entities that support BDS.)
California’s law is slightly different than other states’ in that it requires a company who receives a state contract over $100,000 to certify, under penalty of perjury, that any policy they have against Israel, including a boycott, is not discriminatory. Legal organizations against the bill–the Center for Constitutional Rights, Palestine Legal and the National Lawyers Guild–have criticized the language as potentially leading to a floodgate of “complaints, investigations, and possible felony prosecutions into the thoughts and beliefs motivating a prospective contractor’s support for Palestinian human rights,” as they wrote in a letter opposing the bill.
Asked for comment on the bill, Deborah Hoffman, a spokesperson for Governor Brown, told Mondoweisswe are letting the governor’s signature speak for itself and won’t be commenting any further.”
Brown’s decision is the latest victory for pro-Israel groups, who have lobbied legislators across the country to enact anti-BDS legislation. California is one of the most significant prizes for pro-Israel groups. It’s the most populous state in the country and activists groups on opposing sides of the issue have waged intense battles over BDS and Israel-Palestine. The University of California, Berkeley’s decision to suspend a class on Palestine and settler-colonialism–and then reverse that decision–was the latest case to make headlines in the state and the country.
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2016/09/governor-signature-california/#sthash.u96ntJ2R.dpuf
In a victory for Israel advocates, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill against the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement on Saturday.
Brown’s signature makes California the 13th state to enact an anti-BDS measure, most of which bar state contracts or pension funds from going to entities–non-profits or corporations–that support BDS. (12 of those states, including California, passed the law through the normal legislative process. In New York, though, Governor Andrew Cuomo bypassed the legislature and signed an executive order barring state funds from flowing to entities that support BDS.)
California’s law is slightly different than other states’ in that it requires a company who receives a state contract over $100,000 to certify, under penalty of perjury, that any policy they have against Israel, including a boycott, is not discriminatory. Legal organizations against the bill–the Center for Constitutional Rights, Palestine Legal and the National Lawyers Guild–have criticized the language as potentially leading to a floodgate of “complaints, investigations, and possible felony prosecutions into the thoughts and beliefs motivating a prospective contractor’s support for Palestinian human rights,” as they wrote in a letter opposing the bill.
Asked for comment on the bill, Deborah Hoffman, a spokesperson for Governor Brown, told Mondoweisswe are letting the governor’s signature speak for itself and won’t be commenting any further.”
Brown’s decision is the latest victory for pro-Israel groups, who have lobbied legislators across the country to enact anti-BDS legislation. California is one of the most significant prizes for pro-Israel groups. It’s the most populous state in the country and activists groups on opposing sides of the issue have waged intense battles over BDS and Israel-Palestine. The University of California, Berkeley’s decision to suspend a class on Palestine and settler-colonialism–and then reverse that decision–was the latest case to make headlines in the state and the country.
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2016/09/governor-signature-california/#sthash.u96ntJ2R.dpuf

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

we must support the 38 billion in military aid..no questions are allowed

Anonymous said...

No, you only restrict questions if you have no answers.

You can't make peace with people whose profession and
stated aim is to kill you and take all you have, and
whose lives depend on strict adherence to this aim.
The Palestinians work for the Saudis. No opposition
is tolerated. As long as there
is a Saudi Arabia, there can be no peace in the
middle east. Palestinians believe in rights for
themselves and none for anyone else. The Two
State Solution is merely rhetoric, a means to
an end.

Anonymous said...

"13 states bar contracts to firms that boycott apartheid Israel..."

as the sycophant-in-chief attends a funeral there and further extends the US groveling.

The US takes very good care of its cop in the Middle East - which is the reason for Israel's existence.