You can't force a company to do business with a foreign nation. No way this would be enforceable.
You can't force a company to do business with a foreign nation. No way this would be enforceable.
This is mealy-mouthed and spineless.Setting aside policy, the symbolism of BDS being very close to the same approaches led by many of the same countries in the region that were used to attempt to stop Israel from existing is something that can cause people (myself included) being very uncomfortable with endorsing wholesale because of the possibility of an unintended implication.
I absolutely think the US should be leveraging its relationship to pressure reforms and such. And you don't need BDS to do that, there's plenty the US can do on its own or in concert with others outside that framework.
This is mealy-mouthed and spineless.
The US will not and has not used its relationship to pressure reforms, and you know this.
Israel is engaging in ethnic cleansing, and a boycott of the small number of goods they produce is achievable and justifiable.
You know what unintended implication I find disturbing? The implication that you'd prefer crimes against humanity to continue with impunity because you don't want to look like a bad guy.
Senators Bernie Sanders & Dianne Feinsten on Thursday sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them not to promote a controversial piece of legislation that will penalize boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in Gaza and the West Bank.
Sanders and Feinsten, two of the most prominent Jewish members of the Senate, warned that the proposed legislation, called the "Anti-Israel Boycott Act", will harm free speech in the US.
"While on a personal level, we as individual senators do not support Boycott/Divestment & Sanctions Movement as the specific path toward engaging Israeli pressure on settlements, we remain resolved to our constitutional oath to defend the right of every American to express their views and calls for dissent and/or protest peacefully and without fear of punishment by the government," Sanders and Feinstein penned in their letter, which was then sent to Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Majority leader mitch McConnel.
Both Schumer and McConnel support the anti boycott bill, which is being promoted by the pro Israeli lobbying group AIPAC.
The legislation has been met with opposition from leading civil rights groups, including the American civil liberties union, over the fact that it might stifle American's right to free expression and thought.
AIPAC and key cosponsors of the legislation reject these concerns by claiming the bill would only punish large scale companies that join the international boycott of Israel, and will not harm private citizens who choose to boycott.
However, the ACLU has in return argued that the bill could be used to punish private citizens, and would encourage states across the US, many of whom have already enacted anti BDS laws into practice, to criminally punish those with views critical of Israel.
Federal courts in both Kansas and Arizona have ruled such laws as unconstitutional over the past few years, as the two senators noted in their letter.
Sanders and Feinsten also warn that federal and state laws supporting anti BDS legislation could lay the unacceptable groundwork for fomenting a default narrative of pro settlement, pro apartheid views throughout the country by punishing American citizens who chose to boycott Israel in protest of said settlements.
"At a time when the right wing Israeli government is clearly aimed at foreclosing the Israeli/Palestinian peace process, it is deeply disappointing that congress would choose to penalize criticism of those policies", they said.
As I posted in the other thread, the ACLU has already successfully defeated such laws in two states this year in front of federal judges; they just picked up the case in Texas yesterday after the teacher's aid fiasco. A law passed by Congress could easily be brought before the Supreme Court, where it will be nuked from orbit. Transparent attempt by politicians to signal their support for Israel with a blatantly unconstitutional push.
I mentioned this to Inu last night- I think the current realignment we're going through is going to help a lot here on that front.The best outcome from this would be politicians recognizing that they don't have to kowtow to AIPAC and Israeli lobbying.
Why is Israeli apartheid so hard for Americans to understand compared to say what happened in South Africa?
it's only unconstitutional if scotus says so, and look who's running scotus
americans were really into south africa for a while tooWhy is Israeli apartheid so hard for Americans to understand compared to say what happened in South Africa?
they have the court for decades and can easily make up whatever dumb justification they want for why this is OK and anything the left comes up with isn'tAllowing Congress to legislate "appropriate" protest topics based on simple majority couldn't possibly backfire. Even conservative justices and federal judges would realize how easily this could be abused, even if it were constitutional.
Why is Israeli apartheid so hard for Americans to understand compared to say what happened in South Africa?
The media is biased towards Israel and tows the line. They're just as complicit as the governments unwavering support for them.Why is Israeli apartheid so hard for Americans to understand compared to say what happened in South Africa?
https://www.resetera.com/threads/no...ng-far-far-more-dangerous-than-russias.68666/It makes the Russian-Trump connection and the collusion seem like child play. No country ever should have a priority in legislation over it's citizen. But here we are.
Evangelicals need Jews in Israel to fulfilly the prophecy that ushers in Armageddon where God destroys Israel. This is actually a core tenet of their faith.
Israel lobbies very hard in the US for Israeli interests.
Disingenuous commentators try to conflate anti-Israel with anti-Semite even as Bibi works with neo-Nazis in Hungary, Austria and Italy to whitewash those countries' complicity in the Holocaust.
It is absolutely insane. Israel is working with European Neo-Nazis to destabilize Europe and US Evangelicals to fulfill biblical prophecies.
Ask for a gift of $10,000 since her bank account would obviously be worthless by 2019.My friend's evangelical sister decided she didn't want any Christmas presents this year because she doesn't see the point of material goods when it's so clear Jesus is coming back in a few months. "Absolutely insane" pretty much covers it.
Why is Israeli apartheid so hard for Americans to understand compared to say what happened in South Africa?
Ask for a gift of $10,000 since her bank account would obviously be worthless by 2019.
Tried it, didn't work. Jesus wants her to be rich when she's Raptured, apparently.
Sanders, Feinsten come together to voice opposition to anti BDS senate law, claim it clearly threatens to destroy the first amendment of free speech in the United States
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.pr...nate-leaders-to-scrap-anti-bds-bill-1.6762918
Glad to see there are some people pushing back on this. A clear violation of rights.
Insane but not dumb I see.Tried it, didn't work. Jesus wants her to be rich when she's Raptured, apparently.
My mom believes Israel is the motherland. That all of her people will go there in the end.. and some other shit.
Baptist Christian.
Sure but can't it also be the motherland without apartheid and genocide?
according to the fundamentalist texts of both handline israel and even fundamentalist right wing christian conservatives, ALL OF THE LAND must belong the israeli jews. that means overt destruction of the Palestinians who also share that land. Its a clear collusion for agreement of mutual annihilation.
Im not with this religious bullshit in the first place, i just want Israel to stop being able to control the US government in such a way, and hurting the Palestinians civilians caught in this nonsense both in israel and gaza and the west bank, who are obviously not on an equal ground.
Why is it the texts of hardline Israelis and fundamentalist right wing Chrisitans? Do they read a different Old and New Testament than everyone else?
Sure but can't it also be the motherland without apartheid and genocide?
To an extent, no, because "motherland" is an intrinsically imperial/colonial/nationalistic mindset.Sure but can't it also be the motherland without apartheid and genocide?