Knesset committee approves bill allowing Israel boycotters to be fined
Bill calls for heavy fines to be imposed on Israeli citizens who initiate or incite boycotts against Israeli individuals, companies, factories, and organizations.
By Jonathan Lis Tags: Israel newsThe Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved a bill on Tuesday that calls for heavy fines to be imposed on Israeli citizens who initiate or incite boycotts against Israel, despite the Foreign Ministry's objections.
The Knesset approved an initial reading of the bill over six months ago. The bill will now move on to a first reading in the Knesset for approval. If it becomes a law, the fines would apply to anyone boycotting Israeli individuals, companies, factories, and organizations.
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An anti-Israel protestor at Dublin Airport, Ireland, June, 7, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
The bill was initiated by coalition chairman Zeev Elkin (Likud), MK Arieh Eldad (National Union) and MK Dalia Itzik (Kadima).
"The bill was initiated in response to the phenomenon of academic and economic boycotts against Israeli that have recently been encountered in Israel," Elkin said.
"It is inconceivable that the state of Israel will support those who boycott it and Israeli companies that are harmed by boycotts, just because they are in Israel," he added.
Under the new law, any group could sue for damages of up to NIS 30,000 from anyone who launched a boycott against them, or incited a boycott, without having to prove that damage was indeed caused. An additional sum could then be demanded once damages were proven.
Kadima MK Yochanan Plesner, whose party co-sponsored the bill, said "the bill was originally meant to fight the phenomenon of foreign countries and bodies issue financial boycotts on Israel while receiving subsidies from the country."
Plesner said the bill was changed and it has not become a bill which is entirely devoted to "limiting the freedom of speech of the residents and citizens of Israel."
Ehud Keinan, Legal Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Israel had enough tools to fight the boycotts against the country, and that the bill would hurt Israel's ability to fight boycotters outside of the country.
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economy of all EU taxpayers ,forcing them to bail Irish banks with 50 billion Euro. Had Irish not focused so madly on Israel perhaps they would have stopped their own downhill slide in time.
""In the U.S. there is are laws aimed at preventing Americans from boycotting U.S. allies, including Israel. It appears that in light of the reality in Israel, we need a similar law that applies to Israeli citizens," said the bill's sponsors" - Haaretz// Now consideer ACTUAL reality: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press" - US Constitution/ Israel has no constitution and crazy rightwingers can come up with all sorts of ideas which might endanger Israeli democracy and transform it into a McCarthyist state, or worse. This proposed law is directed against people who advocate, not only participate in, a boycott of Israeli institution. In the US, the law cannot stop the "advocacy", only the actual practice of boycott, because of Constitutional protection of free speech. But go and explain this fine difference to the right wing. Their law of course is actually aimed at speech. Israelis don't boycott Israel, they sometimes speak against policies of Israel and call for actions that would cause them to be changed, including boycott. It is fundamental that such speech be allowed to be heard. What is advocated may even be correct. Do Israelis want to hear about sanctions only when these finally take place?
The civil rights movement in the U.S. began with the Montgomery bus boycott. Boycotts have long been a tool of non-violet resistance. Ditto South Africa. Banning them just further delegitimizes Israel.
let them be CONSISTENT and boycott EVERYTHING including cancer meds and other life-saving Israeli medical technology.
let me know and we'll instigate it from outside israel using an American server, which will be untouchable unless the far right Israeli government do an Iran and censor the internet