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Jackson Richman

“Anti-BDS legislation is about commercial activities, not about people’s ability to speak,” says the 33-year-old. “People are free to criticize Israel; that is a protected right. But organized boycotting and divestment with the support of state, local or federal government is not acceptable.”
The two legislative items seek to build the American-Israel relationship and to put the stop on collaborating with terror groups and their affiliates. Both are on their way to the Senate.
“The House voted 398-17 in favor of an anti-BDS resolution written by Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider. That’s a stunning show of bipartisan opposition to BDS and support for Israel,” Democratic Majority for Israel CEO Mark Mellman told JNS.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper “understands the strategic relationship with Israel, and that the alternative is no alternative,” said former Pentagon official Michael Rubin.
“We don’t have to agree with every action of every Israeli government to recognize that Israeli people deserve real security; part of that translates into making sure that we speak out at every opportunity against hateful rhetoric,” he told JNS.
A pro-BDS bill by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was widely seen as a move to push back against U.S. laws banning the boycott of Israel. Co-sponsorship by U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) adds credibility to the resolution, which will likely face stiff opposition in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.
The group has approached several leading Democrats to voice support against a term that has often been used by anti-Israel groups in the attempt to delegitimize Israel.
It coincides with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, when Jewish tradition prohibits writing, driving, using electricity and working.
“Millions of Holocaust survivors and their descendants, as well refugees from Soviet oppression living in Israel, will find such comparisons unfathomable,” said Democratic Majority for Israel president and CEO Mark Mellman. “I find them odious. In an effort led by parties of the left, the German Parliament officially labeled BDS as ‘anti-Semitism’—and they were right.”