Chicago Event: BDS in the USA
/Why the answer to the growing backlash needs to be more Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel
Read MoreIllinois Governor Signs Anti-BDS Bill Into Law
/Yesterday, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed SB 1761, making Illinois the first state in the country to explicitly punish boycotts of Israel. The new law will set up a blacklist of companies that boycott Israel and require the state’s pension funds to divest from those companies. The law specifies that its intent is to only punish companies that are not based in the United States.
Read MoreFAQ: New York State Human Rights Law Does Not Prohibit Boycotts of Israel
/Today, Palestine Legal and the Center for Constitutional Rights released an FAQ to explain the anti-boycott provision of the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), and to refute meritless claims that the law prohibits human rights boycotts of Israel, Israeli companies, and Israeli goods.
Read MoreUC Drops Consideration of State Department Anti-Semitism Definition
/In a victory for academic freedom, the University of California Board of Regents will not consider adopting the U.S. State Department’s re-definition of anti-Semitism during their July meeting, which began yesterday. Instead, according to a statement released by President Janet Napolitano, the Board of Regents “will consider at its September meeting a statement of principles against intolerance, including, but not limited to, anti-Semitism and other types of intolerance.”
Read MoreCivil rights orgs warn Northwestern University to protect campus speech
/Today, Palestine Legal, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the National Lawyers Guild sent a letter to Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro urging him to protect campus speech by rejecting calls to adopt a re-definition of anti-Semitism that could be used to silence critics of Israel.
Read MoreHow does the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Law Affect BDS?
/Earlier this week, President Obama signed into law the Trade Promotion Authority bill. The final law includes a watered-down version of an anti-BDS Amendment that Palestine Legal has been monitoring.
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