Illinois congressmen submit anti-boycott bill
Source: Times of Israel
WASHINGTON Only one day after the New York state legislature withdrew a bill that sought to punish would-be participants in academic boycotts of Israel, two Illinois congressmen introduced a bipartisan bill that would block federal funding for American universities engaging in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions or scholars.
Representatives Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Protect Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4009) in response to what the legislators see as the growing threat of unjustified boycotts against the Jewish State of Israel. The bills sponsors cited the December decision by the American Studies Association (ASA) to support an academic boycott as impetus for the legislation.
In a statement released Thursday, the sponsors said that the measure was designed to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund bigoted attacks against Israel that undermine the fundamental principles of academic freedom.
This bipartisan legislation seeks to preserve academic freedom and combat bigotry by shielding Israel from unjust boycotts. It is ludicrous for critics to go after our democratic friend and ally Israel when they should be focusing on the evils perpetrated by repressive, authoritarian regimes like Iran and North Korea, said Congressman Roskam, the co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus.
Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/illinois-congressmen-submit-anti-boycott-bill/
truebrit71
(20,805 posts)...he is supposed to be representing the people of his district in Illinois, NOT the citizens of Israel..
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)ONCE derided as the scheming of crackpots, the campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, widely known as BDS, is turning mainstream. That, at any rate, is the fear of a growing number of Israelis. Some European pension funds have withdrawn investments; some large corporations have cancelled contracts; and the American secretary of state, John Kerry, rarely misses a chance to warn Israel that efforts to delegitimise and boycott it will increase if its government spurns his efforts to conclude a two-state settlement of its conflict with the Palestinians. Israel, says Yair Lapid, Israels foreign minister, is approaching the same tipping point where South Africa found itself in opposition to the rest of the world in the dying days of apartheid. Lets not kid ourselves, he told a conference of security boffins recently in Tel Aviv. The world listens to us less and less.
BDS has begun to grab the attention of some of the worlds largest financial institutions. PGGM, a big Dutch pension fund, has liquidated its holdings in five Israeli banks (though the Netherlands largest has affirmed its investments). Norways finance ministry has announced that it is excluding Africa Israel Investments and its subsidiary, Danya Cebus, a big building firm, from a government pension fund.
The campaign is drawing support from beyond northern Europe. Romania has forbidden its citizens from working for companies in the West Bank. More churches are backing BDS. An American academic association is boycotting Israeli lecturers. The debate turned viral after Scarlett Johansson, a Hollywood actor, quit her role as ambassador for Oxfam, a charity based in Britain, in order to keep her advertising contract with SodaStream, an Israeli drinks firm with a plant on the West Bank.
Mr Lapid, who favours a two-state solution, reels out figures to show how sanctions could hit every Israeli pocket. If negotiations with the Palestinians stall or blow up and we enter the reality of a European boycott, even a very partial one, he warned, 10,000 Israelis would immediately lose their jobs. Trade with the European Union, a third of Israels total, would slumphe calculatesby $5.7 billion.
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21595948-israels-politicians-sound-rattled-campaign-isolate-their-country
Money talks....
atreides1
(16,079 posts)Are any American universities conducting business or engaging academically with Iran or North Korea?
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Um, by limiting academic freedom and protecting bigotry???? Huh?
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)On Friday, BuzzFeed, quoting a pro-Israel Democratic strategist, reported that two major Jewish groups the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League are not planning to back a bill in Congress that would withhold federal funding from American academic entities that boycott Israel.
Theres no way theyll say they support it, the strategist reportedly said. We hope he is right.
The bill was introduced by two Illinois congressmen, Republican Peter Roskam and Democrat Dan Lipinski, in retaliation against the American Studies Association and other groups that support a call by Palestinians to boycott Israeli academic institutions.
The turnabout has been described by some as a political earthquake in Albany since Mr. Silvers bills are almost always adopted and this one had already passed the state senate on a vote of 56 to 4.
Perhaps this is a sign that supporters of Israel are coming to understand that such legislation would do nothing to enhance Israels security or protect it from having to compromise on a peace deal. The legislation would, on the other hand, weaken America and its bedrock commitment to free speech and peaceful political dissent.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/07/boycotting-israel-and-the-first-amendment/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)The really funny part of this is that such efforts to stifle free speech among academics will only make the calls for a boycott against Israel louder. The time for neo-apartheid and land-stealing without consequences is long past. Better get on the right side of history quick.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)This stuff is bullshit.
Screw Israel...fucking whiners.
dbackjon
(6,578 posts)How about cutting off funding to bigot factories like Liberty Univ?