The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) & Jewish Currents invite you to: Spotlight on the “Kohelet Policy Forum”: How a Far-Right-Wing, U.S.-Funded Israeli Think…

“Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, noted that Eugene Kontorovich, a professor of law at George Mason University and fellow at Kohelet, was described during a 2015 congressional hearing as being a ‘major force’ behind an anti-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions law (BDS) in the state of South Carolina… ‘It’s not some conspiracy to say there’s this role, whether he does it in the name of himself or the university that he’s working for, at the time, or Kohelet Forum,’ said Friedman. ‘It’s him, and he is the director of the international law programme at Kohelet Forum, and he is effectively claiming and I believe him to be a key if not the lead drafter and legislation which is now spread across the majority of US States seeking to quash free speech of American citizens.’ … “‘There’s the very strong US side of this. Now that the world is suddenly paying attention to Kohelet in Israel, I think they maybe are missing the story in the US,’ Friedman said. ‘In the US they have played, I would say, a parallel, enormously effective, and quiet role of shaping US policy to where it is today when it comes to anything related to Israel-Palestine.'”

1.Bills, Resolutions & Letters 2. Hearings 3. Media & Reports 4. Members on the Record (Palestine/Palestinians) 5. Members on the Record (Israel) 6. Members on…

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks to Vito Todeschini (legal expert in human rights law, international humanitarian law and international accountability,…

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Sarah Anne Minkin speaks with +972’s Haggai Matar about the developments of the last two days — Netanyahu…

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement Report, covering everything you need to know about Israeli settlement activity this week. To subscribe to this report, please click here.…

1.Bills, Resolutions & Letters 2. Hearings 3. Media & Reports 4. Members on the Record (Palestine/Palestinians) 5. Members on the Record (Israel) 6. Members on…

“Lawyers and advocates for Palestinian rights, however, say that anti-BDS laws don’t actually differentiate between types of boycotts and divestment, and that companies divesting from Israel over the judicial overhaul could still be affected by the laws. Many states’ anti-BDS laws define a ‘boycott’ as an action ‘intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or otherwise limit commercial relations’ with Israel. ‘If you’re an Israeli company that is divesting from Israel and terminating business there, I don’t see how you’re not technically in violation of that law, which means you need to be put on a blacklist,’ said Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. ‘There’s very little wiggle room.’…

“Palestinians and their allies see Israel advocates’ reaction to the companies pulling out of Israel as a measure of their hypocrisy. ‘It is perfectly reasonable, it seems, to shun Israeli officials, cut off financial ties, and disrupt public spaces when mainstream Jews call for it,’ Amjad Iraqi wrote in +972 Magazine. ‘But when Palestinians living under Israeli oppression demand the same, their calls are to be scrutinized, rejected, even punished.’ Friedman added in an interview with Jewish Currents that the discrepancy clarifies the purpose of anti-BDS laws. ‘The intent here is to quash free speech on Palestine. This is not about protecting Israel from boycott. It’s about crushing activism on Palestine,’ she said.”