Seems worth boycotting the perps
I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of AIPAC legislating what we can and can't do. If I want to protest the war crimes and human rights violations being perpetrated against the Palestinian people via my constitutionally protected right to boycott, I can. For now.
But if I'm in South Carolina, a new law "prevents state public entities from contracting with businesses engaging in the boycott of a person or an entity based in or doing business with a jurisdiction with whom South Carolina can enjoy open trade." In other words, don't bother trying to get your South Carolina state institutions to boycott Israel; AIPAC's already got this state locked up.
And in Illinois, a law just passed (unanimously!) containing a "provision that requires state pension funds to 'create blacklists of companies that boycott Israel because of its human rights violations, and mandates that they withdraw their investments from these companies.'"
Yes--blacklists.
In April, an AIPAC-backed amendment was attached to the TPA (fast track) bill. The New York Times is just reporting it now.
The amendment to the TPA was introduced in the senate by Senator Cardin (D-MD, $217,793 AIPAC), and Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL, "Keen Supporter"). It passed unanimously in the senate.
It contains language that would "encourage the blacklisting of foreign companies that support the pro-Palestinian campaign, known as Boycott, Divest and Sanction, or B.D.S. The trade legislation is notable in part because the scope of its blacklisting could include companies that refuse to do business with Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, even though they are widely considered illegal."
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Yes, that is notable, because the settlements actually are illegal.
Here's some of the text of the House version:
In this paragraph, the term ‘‘actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel’’ means actions by states, non-member states of the United Nations, international organizations, or affiliated agencies of international organizations that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli-controlled territories.
The language comes straight out of
Israel's own 2010 anti-boycott law:
1. In this bill, “a boycott against the State of Israel” – deliberately avoiding economic, cultural or academic ties with another person or another actor only because of his ties with the State of Israel, one of its institutions or an area under its control, in such a way that may cause economic, cultural or academic damage.
Further, it's
yet another attempt by Congress to infringe on the Executive Branch's power to conduct foreign policy. In this case, congress is trying to force the United States into accepting that the settlements are a part of Israel. In fact the United States has never recognized Israeli sovereignty over any Occupied Territories; the presence of citizens of the occupying power in occupied territory is a
war crime. As is the continued illegal
blockade of Gaza.
The good news about all this subversive lobbying activity, is that it indicates that the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), is making an impact. Enough of an impact to spur billionaires Sheldon Adelson to convene a summit to raise millions to fight BDS, enough of an impact for Netanyahu to declare that Israel is preparing an "offensive" to combat the boycott, enough of an impact for other Israeli officials to go off the rails and declare that BDS (non-violent protest), is a "puppet of Hammas and Islamic Jihad." And it's enough to cause Netanyahu to pay an American organization (Stand With Us), $250,000 to spread messaging from the Israeli government on American college campuses (seems illegal)....
But back to your 1st and 14th amendment rights.
If you don't like the restrictions embedded in the TPA, let your representatives know.
Senate
House of Representatives
Here's e2247's earlier diary