Boycott law — who’s where

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A story-so-far look-see:

–U.S. Jewish organizations opposed to the Israeli law banning boycotts of Israel affiliated entities, including settlements: that allows for civil penalties against those who advocate boycotts of Israel or its West Bank settlements.

The Anti-Defamation League

The American Jewish Committee

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs

The Union for Reform Judaism

Jewish Voice for Peace

The New Israel Fund

Meretz USA

Americans for Peace Now

Ameinu

J Street

The Zionist Organization of America opposes such laws in principle but has shied from condemning this particular law.

-Groups applying boycotts to settlement goods:

Americans for Peace Now

Meretz USA

Jewish Voice for Peace

As far as I can tell, only one U.S. group has come close to defending the law: Simcha Katz, the Orthodox Union president, says it’s inappropriate to criticize Israel for measures it takes to protect itself. From Baltimore Jewish Life:

We live in the United States, we haven’t served in the army, we don’t pay taxes [in Israel], so it would be inappropriate for us to publicly, in some fashion, criticize Israel on what they do to protect themselves.

That’s not quite a formal defense of the law, I should point out.

I should also point out, perhaps with a little mischief, that the Orthodox Union in 2005 formally protested to Israel’s government the police profiling of travelers to Gaza who were wearing kippahs, during a withdrawal that had turned violent.

That was a policy that the government at the time implemented in what it saw as Israel’s defense.

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