Top 10 Quotes from Texas Court Decision Blocking Anti-BDS Law

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Top 10 Quotes from Texas Court Decision Blocking Anti-BDS Law

In a huge boost for the movement for Palestinian rights, a federal judge blocked Texas’ anti-boycott law yesterday, finding it unconstitutional. Judge Pitman’s decision, like those of federal judges in Kansas and Arizona, rightly recognizes the constitutional protections afforded to political boycotts, including those advocating for Palestinian rights, and the unconstitutionality of the anti-boycott law in Texas. Here are 10 gems from his decision:

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Arizona’s amended anti-boycott law still constitutionally flawed

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Arizona’s amended anti-boycott law still constitutionally flawed

Months after a federal court blocked Arizona from enforcing its anti-boycott law saying it was unconstitutional, the state has attempted to revive the law by amending it so that it no longer applies to the man who challenged it. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed SB 1167 amending the state’s 2016 anti-boycott law prohibiting state contractors from supporting boycotts of Israel. This was despite significant opposition to the amendment in the Arizona House, where it passed 37-21 with vigorous debate.

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Rights Groups Urge Court to Overturn Decision on Arkansas Anti-Boycott Law

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Rights Groups Urge Court to Overturn Decision on Arkansas Anti-Boycott Law

The Center for Constitutional Rights, Palestine Legal, and the Law Office of Matthew Strugar filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a lawsuit seeking to strike down an Arkansas law that requires government contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel. The lawsuit and the amicus brief in support of it argue that the law violates the First Amendment. The filing situates the Arkansas law as part of a broader effort to suppress speech in support of Palestinian human rights.

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Success: Harvard apologizes for charging security fees for Black-Palestinian solidarity event

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Success: Harvard apologizes for charging security fees for Black-Palestinian solidarity event

Harvard College reversed a discriminatory, eleventh hour decision to charge a student group $300 in security fees for an event on Black-Palestinian solidarity featuring Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Dr. Cornell West and Palestine Legal’s Dima Khalidi, which took place on the evening of Tuesday, April 2. A university official had informed a member of Harvard’s Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) at 5pm the day before the event that the fees were being charged due to concerns that the event was “controversial.”

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1948 Movie Overcomes West Hollywood Censorship Campaign

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1948 Movie Overcomes West Hollywood Censorship Campaign

After a months-long smear campaign, the West Hollywood City Council voted 3-2 on Monday to move forward with the April 16th screening of the historical documentary 1948: Creation and Catastrophe.

The city of West Hollywood initially planned to screen the film on November 16, 2018, as part of its Human Rights Speakers Series. The film documents the founding of Israel and the forced expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes through first-hand accounts from both Israelis and Palestinians. Pro-Israel groups called for censorship over concern that historical facts paint Israel in a bad light. The screening was first postponed to December 12, 2018 and then April 16, 2019.

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Airbnb lawsuit exposes attacks on free speech and Palestinian human rights

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Airbnb lawsuit exposes attacks on free speech and Palestinian human rights

Last November, Airbnb decided to delist some rentals located in illegal settlements in the West Bank, acknowledging that the rental of properties in Israeli settlements enables violations of Palestinian rights. Airbnb’s decision to comply with international law sparked immediate and wide-ranging backlash, including a lawsuit by Israeli settlers and blacklisting by several states around the country. This backlash has created both opportunities and challenges for everyday Americans and those who support Palestinian human rights.

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Lawfare drops bullying lawsuits against SF State

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Lawfare drops bullying lawsuits against SF State

Rather than try to prove its false allegations in court, the Lawfare Project withdrew its claims against San Francisco State in a token settlement on the eve of trial earlier this week.

The Lawfare Project, a right-wing anti-Palestinian organization with an explicit plan to “inflict massive punishments” against critics of Israel, launched its campaign against SF State with a lawsuit in federal court in June 2017. After that lawsuit was dismissed in March 2018, Lawfare filed a second lawsuit in California state court, making similar allegations. Both lawsuits argued that advocacy for Palestinian equality discriminates against Jewish students.

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