Part two in a series where Dr. Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi examines a federal complaint filed against her, the California State University Board of Trustees, and the San Francisco State University by the Lawfare Project, a self-described “legal arm for the pro-Israel community” whose executive director affirmed that its objective is to “make the enemy pay.”
Proponents of law targeting BDS in Massachusetts argue that Israeli companies would leave the state if the legislature fails to pass anti-BDS act. That’s frankly absurd. Israel needs Massachusetts much more than Massachusetts needs Israel.
A new initiative to stifle Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in the Massachusetts legislature is a bill to “Prohibit Discrimination in State Contracts”, arguing that targeting Israel is a form of discrimination aimed at people’s religion and national origin. Opponents showed that this is a facade to hide the anti-free-speech intent of the legislation.
Neighbors of a mansion on Chicago’s north side yesterday OK’d Haymarket Books’ plan to move in by a 50-30 vote; but only after the publisher’s application for a zoning variance was attacked by pro-Israel forces who conflated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.
Last Monday, Senate minority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is also a major supporter of the anti-BDS legislation, diverted from his Senate speech on health care, to address anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and BDS. He equated Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions with anti-Semitism.
Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Grim’s report at the Intercept on new legislation in the Congress that would criminalize support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). Yes, criminalize. The bill is such a crude example of overreach by the Israel lobby that it is sure to backfire on its supporters as Greenwald and Grim’s report ricochets around the Democratic Party
Israel advances a law that will make secret its operations to suppress the movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the law would exempt government agencies from complying with FOIA requests that could reveal its fight against BDS, and its overseas civilian partners that seek to hide their relationship with the Israeli government.
“Although the Israeli ‘anti-terrorism day camps’ for civilians are not new, an article in Haaretz last week about their growing popularity amongst tourists from around the globe has created significant buzz and, in some cases, righteous outrage, writes Nada Elia, “The lure of these camps, however, is not so much about killing a Palestinian, as it is about ‘killing like an Israeli.’ The focus at all times is on how Israelis do it. Caliber 3 Israeli Counter Terror and Security Academy, which first opened in 2003 in the illegal Gush Etzion settlement, is fully staffed by IDF combat veterans, including members of ‘elite units.’ They are the experts, and they remind the campers of it at every opportunity they get.”
Richard Hardigan reports from Nabi Saleh, “Israel is the only country in the world that automatically prosecutes children in military courts that lack basic and fundamental fair trial guarantees. Since 2000, at least 8,000 Palestinian children have been arrested and prosecuted in an Israeli military detention system notorious for the systematic ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children.
Nabi Saleh is no exception in this regard. Since the demonstrations began, there have been 220 arrests, of which roughly 100 have been of minors and, perhaps even more disturbing, there have been 15 arrests of children under the age of 15. One of the latter is Mohammed Fadal Tamimi, aged 14, who is currently in prison.”
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