ILLINOIS PASSES ANTI-BDS BILL

I24NEWS

“A bill that would prohibit the Illinois state pension fund from investing in companies that boycott Israel unanimously passed the Illinois House of Representatives Monday by a vote of 102-0.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner said on Twitter that he will sign into law the historic bill against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement

The measure’s 102-0 House passage follows its 49-0 passage in the Illinois State Senate. State legislatures in Indiana and Tennessee last month passed resolutions condemning BDS, but those measures were non-binding, as opposed to the Illinois bill’s specific economic action.

“Illinois is the first state to take concrete, legally binding action against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, providing a legislative model for the rest of the country,” said Jacob Baime, executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition.

The Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) said that it “strategized closely with the Governor’s Office” and with Senators Ira Silverstein and Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, the bill’s chief co-sponsors, “to help ensure its successful passage.”

“At the core of the BDS movement is a quest to delegitimize Israel as a sovereign, democratic and Jewish state,” said JUF President Steven B. Nasatir. “This bipartisan legislation sends a strong message that Illinois will not tolerate such efforts.”