WASHINGTON, June 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Israel Project today applauded the New Jersey Legislature for taking steps to prevent the implementation of an anti-Semitic boycott solely targeting the state of Israel. The legislation prohibits state funds from being invested in companies that participate in the discriminatory Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Specifically, the legislation prohibits the investment of pension and annuity funds by New Jersey in companies that boycott Israel or Israeli businesses.
“New Jersey is one of Israel’s largest trading partners, and one of Israel’s great friends. The passage of this legislation today preserves that relationship and secures it for the future,” said The Israel Project CEO Josh Block. “I commend the people of New Jersey and their elected officials for strongly standing up against baseless anti-Israel discrimination.”
The hateful boycott campaign is entirely focused on isolating and demonizing the only Jewish state in the world. Its founders have promoted an unambiguously anti-Semitic agenda by openly calling for the destruction of Israel, the only free democracy in the Middle East. The Israel Project commends the state legislature for ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not funding this hatred.
The bipartisan measure, whose Primary Sponsors were State Senators James Beach and Loretta Weinberg, passed the Senate unanimously by a vote of 39 to 0. The General Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 69 to 3. The General Assembly bill’s Primary Sponsors were Vainieri Huttle, Gary Schaer, Nancy Pinkin, Chris Brown, Raj Mukherji, Pamela Lampitt and Vincent Mazzeo.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to sign the bill into law.
New Jersey is the 12th state to address this sort of discrimination, proving that Americans across the country stand strong against this insidious form of hatred. The passage of this legislation in New Jersey follows similar victories in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, Iowa, Alabama, New York and Rhode Island.
About The Israel Project
The Israel Project (TIP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization that provides factual information about Israel and the Middle East to the press, policymakers and the public. Founded in 2003, TIP works in multiple languages to provide real-time background information, images, maps, audio, video, graphics and direct access to newsmakers. To learn more about TIP, visit http://www.theisraelproject.org.