(Newsweek) Josh Halpern - In 1975, President Gerald Ford called for regulations prohibiting U.S. companies from "complying in any way with [the Arab] boycott" of Israel. Congress passed the Ribicoff Amendment which assessed steep tax penalties against U.S. companies that participate in the Arab Boycott. The Export Administration Amendments of 1977, signed by President Jimmy Carter, directed the president to prohibit American companies from joining the Arab boycott. The U.S. Office of Antiboycott Compliance has been enforcing this regime ever since, on the bipartisan understanding that the boycott of Israel constitutes a tool of discrimination, not protected expression. For 50 years, state and federal lawmakers have regulated Israel boycotts, on the understanding that they were conceived in antisemitism. A boycott isn't protected speech, but rather economic conduct that can be freely regulated, consistent with the First Amendment. The writer is a lecturer and research fellow at Harvard Law School.
2023-03-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive