(Algemeiner) Last Friday’s decision by District Court Judge Andrew Hanen of Texas has been lauded as a landmark victory by supporters of Israel boycotts — an irony, given the opinion actually upholds the constitutionality of state laws that deem such boycotts discriminatory and restrict government involvement in companies that adopt such boycotts.
The recent wave of anti-BDS legislation has been adopted to protect people with Israeli connections from facing discrimination. “Boycotting Israel” has never meant boycotting the government of Israel — it has always meant boycotting the people of Israel, the vast majority of whom are Jewish. Anti-BDS laws do not reach all private contracts, but rather prohibit companies with state contracts from engaging in boycotts of those with Israeli ties.
