New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an executive order for agencies under his control to divest from companies and organisations aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, which puts economic and political pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestine.
The Gawker reports that the order gives the Office of General Service leeway to compose a list of any groups engaged in, “boycott, divestment or sanctions actively targeting Israel, either directly or through a parent or subsidiary.”
Once all the names are named, executive-branch agencies will be obligated to divest from any group on the list.
Cuomo said: “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.”
Omar Barghouti, a founder of BDS, told the New York Times 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 BDS. from the top,” Barghouti said.
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