New Jersey Passes Anti-BDS Measure

New Jersey has become the 11th US state to pass an anti-BDS measure The state legislature passed a law on Monday which will deter corporate entities from participating in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.  Mondoweiss reports: By a 69-3 vote, the State Assembly passed a bill to prohibit pension fund investment in pro-boycott companies. The legislation had passed the State Senate in May by a 39-0 vote. Now that both the Assembly and Senate have passed the legislation, it goes to Governor Chris Christie, who is expected to sign the bill. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, a Democrat who represents Bergen, New Jersey, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the bill was about “bringing together people and making sure we don’t promote anti-Semitism.” The news outlet also reported that a spokesman for the New Jersey Treasury Department said they were not aware of any investments that would violate the law. A division of the department will be tasked with investigating if the state is indeed invested in pro-BDS entities. The move by the State Assembly is a defeat for a coalition of civil liberties and pro-Palestine groups in New Jersey, who had mobilized in recent months to try and [...]