(JTA) — Protesters called on Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton to divest state funds from Israel Bonds.
At a state Board of Investment meeting Tuesday, the protesters from the divestment group Break the Bonds said the governor, the committee’s chairman, should pull the funds from Israel, according to the Star Tribune.
Minnesota has been invested in Israel Bonds for nearly two decades, the newspaper reported, and currently holds $10 million in Israel Bonds and another $15 million invested through the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is considered an investment in Israel. The bonds expire in July, the governor told the protesters.
Dayton also told the protesters, “As far as I’m concerned, the case is closed as far as our decision” to invest in Israel Bonds.
During the meeting, the protesters accused the governor of saying in July during Israel’s Gaza operation that the Palestinians “deserved” to be bombed, citing the Star-Tribune. According to the newspaper, Dayton actually said, “Tonight I join with you in expressing my support of the people of Israel in defending themselves against Hamas’ terrorism.”
