US legislators are standing with Israel against the BDS movement to delegitimize the Jewish state.
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement is gaining momentum on US campuses, but more and more US governmental bodies are joining the struggle against the anti-Israel campaign.
Ranking members of the US House of Representatives introduced last Thursday a new resolution urging the government to step up action against BDS.
The bipartisan bill, introduced by Congressmen Ed Royce (R-CA) and Eliot Engel (D-NY), both members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, is intended to support Israel in its efforts to counter BDS, Engel said in a statement.
The resolution cites historical efforts by the US to combat Arab boycotts on Israel. In line with this course of action, the bill “calls on the Administration to increase the use of its voice, vote, and influence in international organizations and other appropriate international forums to actively oppose politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel.”
The bill also “supports efforts by State legislatures to enact measures that oppose politically motivated acts” taken by the BDS movement.
In April, Tennessee became the first state legislature to formally condemn the BDS movement against Israel. It was joined by Indiana and Illinois in May, and South Carolina and New York in June, where legislation against BDS was passed. Other states plan to promote similar resolutions.
In June, President Barack Obama fixed his signature to a trade bill that includes legislation combating BDS in Europe.
“This resolution expresses our intention to continue standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel in opposition to all forms of economic warfare. From the Arab League’s past boycott of Israel to today’s efforts to boycott and divest from Israel to threatened sanctions on companies that operate there, Congress has a long history of acting against efforts designed to weaken, pressure or otherwise isolate Israel,” the resolution reads.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel