Recent BDS Developments: Anti-BDS Legislation and the MLA

Date 

Add to My Calendar Friday, March 3, 2017 12:30pm to 2:00pm

Location 

The Palestine Center
2425 Virginia Ave NW
Washington, DC 20037

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement faces increasing challenges in the United States with the introduction of anti-BDS measures across the spectrum. According to CCR partner Palestine Legal, 16 states have enacted anti-BDS laws in the last 18 months, which seek to chill and penalize Palestinian rights advocacy.

On February 8, there was a victory for the BDS movement when the HB2261 bill – which would have modified the Virginia Human Rights Act to determine Palestinian advocacy unlawful discrimination because of being codified as anti-Semitic – died after much pressure from Palestinian advocacy groups on Virginia lawmakers; as a result of this pressure, the bill won’t be considered again during the 2017 legislative session.

Meanwhile, at the recent annual conference of the Modern Language Association (MLA) in January, the MLA’s Delegate Assembly shot down a resolution calling for BDS of Israeli universities that deny academic freedom to Palestinians on the basis that it would “block dialogue and scholarly exchange.”  CCR Deputy Legal Director Maria LaHood and Dr. Stephen Sheehi of the College of William and Mary (and a Delegate in the MLA Assembly) will speak on these respective developments.

To RSVP for the discussion, visit the Jerusalem Fund website.

Last modified 

February 24, 2017