New York Governor Cuomo Takes Fight Up To BDS, BDS-Holes Seethe

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Jun 6, 2016

Being someone who believes in playing offense and not just defense, I may have been one of the first people to encourage the boycott of BDS-holes.

The idea has certainly caught on over the years, and now we have a very high-profile exponent of this: New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who just signed an unprecedented executive order for agencies under his control to divest from companies and organizations aligned with BDS.

Cuomo told his audience at the private social club, “If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you. If you divert revenues from Israel, New York will divert revenues from you. If you sanction Israel, New York will sanction you.”

The order gives the Office of General Services generous leeway to compose a list over the next six months of any groups engaged in, “boycott, divestment or sanctions actively targeting Israel, either directly or through a parent or subsidiary.” The list will be available to the public and be based on “credible information.”

Once all the names are named, executive-branch agencies—including public-benefit corporations, public boards, and much of the state government— will be obligated to divest from any group on the list.

Needless to say, much seething has ensued.

Omar Barghouti, a founder of B.D.S., told the New York Times in an email that Cuomo’s actions are a sign of waning popular support for Israel in New York and beyond, “Having lost many battles for hearts and minds at the grass-roots level, Israel has adopted since 2014 a new strategy to criminalize support for B.D.S. from the top,” Barghouti wrote.

https://twitter.com/sweetlovebo/status/739671763618009089

Notice the complaints of McCarthyism by the very people who have been punishing Jewish businesses – whether in pre-1967 Israel or beyond the Green Line – for years now. The hypocrisy is astounding.

Update: This may catch on.

Senator Chuck Schumer, speaking to reporters at an unrelated press conference on Sunday, said he would seek to introduce the same idea to fight BDS on a federal level. “I think what the governor has done is an excellent idea,” Schumer told reporters. “I think that the state (of New York) should not do any business with any company that participates in BDS, and I am looking at introducing a federal law to do the same thing. BDS is a movement that is just totally unfair to Israel. They hold Israel to one standard and hold the other countries, including those who are sworn enemies to Israel, to another standard.”

Update: And of course the news has brought out the less subtle Jew haters (hat tip: tayaraherzl).

https://twitter.com/420patriot1776/status/739466281301073920

https://twitter.com/voxday/status/739488058219868160

https://twitter.com/gentjimcrow/status/739486338274054147

https://twitter.com/waterboardahmed/status/739512203678646273

https://twitter.com/Smeggypants/status/739642758990860289

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David Lange

A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media

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