US senator reintroduces anti-BDS legislation
Senator Marco Rubio's bill would
give congressional support to state and local governments which divest
from entities that engage in BDS movement
US Senator Marco Rubio speaks during a hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, DC, on 8 March 2023 (AFP)
Republican Senator Marco Rubio
has reintroduced a bill designed to support state and local governments
that combat the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
movement against Israel, after several failed attempts to pass the legislation.
If the Combating BDS Act of 2023 bill passes,
it would give congressional support to state and local governments that
divest funds from or prohibit contracting with entities that engage in
the BDS movement.
“The BDS movement is the single most destructive campaign of economic
warfare against the Jewish state of Israel,” Rubio said in a statement
on Thursday. “This bill, which previously passed the Senate, would mark
an important step toward bringing an end to the movement’s
discriminatory efforts.”
Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, a cosponsor of the bill, said that
it would provide state and local governments the tools they need to
counter “the discriminatory and hate-inspired conduct of the
anti-Semitic BDS movement” aimed against Israel “our closest ally in the
Middle East”.
In addition to Hagerty, the bill is cosponsored by Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Mike Braun, Rick Scott, and Steve Daines.
Free speech and Palestinian advocacy groups previously slammed the
bill, accusing its sponsors of trying to muzzle criticism of Israel at
the expense of the US Constitution.
The BDS movement
is a non-violent initiative that seeks to challenge Israel's occupation
and abuses of Palestinian human rights through economic, cultural, and
academic boycotts similar to the successful boycott campaigns of
apartheid South Africa.
Dozens of US states have passed laws that require state contractors
to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel. However, others have looked to
challenge Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank and treatment of
Palestinians.
On Tuesday, new legislation
was introduced in the New York State Assembly to stop charities from
sending millions of dollars to Israel to support settlement activity,
deemed illegal under international law.
Rubio’s bill was first introduced in 2017 and again in 2021. It
follows a recent effort by lawmakers in the House of Representatives to
expand legislation to prevent US companies and individuals from
participating in boycotts of countries “friendly to the US”.
The legislation, introduced by Republican representative Mike Lawler
and Democratic representative Josh Gottheimer, looks to expand on
previous federal law which only bars companies and individuals from
participating in boycotts organised by foreign countries, Jewish Insider
reported.
The bill's text does not specifically identify Israel, but Lawler and
Gottheimer said in statements that the change comes in response to the
BDS movement which targets Israel.