50 Governors Sign Anti-BDS Statement

Governors of all 50 of the United States have signed a statement condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

The non-binding resolution, organized by the American Jewish Committee, adds to legislative actions taken by 16 states to combat BDS. In most of those cases, the state legislatures voted to prohibit state entities from doing business with companies that boycott Israel, its commercial products or Israeli academia.

The Governors United Against BDS statement declares that “the goals of the BDS movement are antithetical to our values and the values of our respective states, our support for Israel as a vital U.S. ally, important economic partner and champion of freedom.”

“[O]ur nation’s 50 governors, as well as the District of Columbia mayor, recognize the pernicious goals of the BDS movement, which singles out Israel from among all the nations of the world for relentless and undue criticism, and whose efforts undermine the prospects for advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace,” AJC CEO David Harris said in a statement Wednesday.