Moveon.org Calls On Progressives To KIll Anti-BDS Bill
Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — An influential progressive political action committee denounced a bipartisan measure targeting boycotts of Israel and its settlements.
MoveOn.org, an influential liberal public policy advocacy group and PAC that raises money for progressive political candidates, criticized the Israel Anti-Boycott Act on Twitter.
“Regardless how you feel about BDS, Congress must reject action to criminalize free speech and peaceful protest. The Democrats in House and Senate must say no to H.R. 1697/S. 720,” MoveOn.org tweeted, referring to the House and Senate versions of the bill.
“Free speech and peaceful protest are integral to democracy,” the group added.
Regardless how you feel about BDS, Congress must reject action to criminalize free speech & peaceful protest (1/3)
— MoveOn.org (@MoveOn) July 19, 2017
The bill, introduced in March in both the House and the Senate, would expand 1970s-era laws that make illegal compliance with boycotts of Israel sponsored by governments — laws inspired at the time by the Arab League boycott of Israel, to include boycotts backed by international organizations. Those adhering to boycotts would be subject to fines.
It also targets efforts by the United Nations and the European Union to distinguish between products manufactured in Israel and West Bank settlements.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
