From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is taking aim at the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel.
On Wednesday, Rubio teamed up with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, to unveil the “Combating BDS Act.” The bill “increases protections for state and local governments in the United States that decide to divest from, prohibit investment in, and restrict contracting with companies knowingly engaged in commerce-related or investment-related BDS activity targeting Israel.” Manchin teamed up with then U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., to fight for a similar proposal last year.
Rubio’s team fleshed out the proposal on Wednesday.
“The Combating BDS Act strengthens these efforts by affirming the legal authority of state and local governments to take tangible actions to counter economic warfare against Israel," Rubio’s office noted. “Recognizing non-preemption, the bill clarifies that state and local governments have the legal authority to identify and divest public funds from, prohibit investment in, and restrict contracting with entities engaged in BDS conduct when the designations are based on ‘credible information available to the public.’ The bill’s non-preemption safe harbor for asset managers will also give them an offensive capability against entities seeking to economically harm Israel.”
Rubio also explained why he was working with Manchin on the proposal.
“This legislation supports efforts by state governments and local communities to use the power of the purse to counter the BDS movement’s economic warfare targeting Israel,” said Rubio. “This bipartisan bill is all the more timely after the United Nations Security Council’s passage of Resolution 2334, a deplorable one-sided measure that harms Israel and effectively encourages the BDS movement’s campaigns to commercially and financially target and discriminate against the Jewish state.”
“This legislation is an important step forward in reassuring Israel that we are protecting our shared national security interests, while also protecting our joint economic interests,” said Manchin. “This bipartisan legislation gives state and local governments a legal way to combat the shameful boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Israel has been our strongest ally in the Middle East and we need to send them a strong signal that we will do everything in our power to fight the BDS movement.”
Rubio and Manchin rounded up almost 20 co-sponsors including Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Orrin Hatch of Utah and Democratic U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin of Maryland, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Bill Nelson of Florida.
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