Anti-BDS Legislation Introduced in Nevada

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Algemeiner

Nevada Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchinson and pro-Israel activists introduced a new resolution seeking to counter the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

The proposed Senate Bill 26 will seek to counter the discriminatory environment fostered by the BDS movement, according to the Israeli-American Coalition for Action (IAC for Action), which is promoting the measure. Nevada’s anti-BDS resolution will be similar to others passed by more than a dozen US states in recent years.

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Kerry, in Stinging Rebuke of Settlements, Doesn’t Rule Out UN Action

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Times of Israel

Secretary of State John Kerry excoriated the Israeli right, claiming that support for settlement construction stems from a desire to subvert Israeli-Palestinian peace, during a speech before the Brookings Institution’s Saban Forum on Sunday afternoon.

A subdued Kerry, wearing reading glasses and referring to extensive notes, notably refrained from committing to veto any UN resolution intended to establish a Palestinian state, only promising a veto “if it is a biased, unfair resolution calculated to delegitimize Israel.”

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Ontario Passes Motion Rejecting BDS

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JTA

Ontario has become the first Canadian province to reject the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, campaign against Israel.

Ontario’s legislature on Dec. 1 by a vote of 49 to 5, passed a motion rejecting “the differential treatment of Israel, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.” All five opposing votes came from the left-leaning New Democratic Party.

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Most Democrats Consider Israel ‘a Burden’ on US

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Times of Israel

Most Democrats consider Israel to be a burden to the United States, according to the published findings of a poll released by the Brookings Institution on Friday.

The survey found a clear majority of Americans (76%) said Israel was “a strategic asset” to the US, its authors said. At the same time, they said, “a majority of Democrats, 55%, say that Israel is also a burden”; among Republicans, 24% consider Israel a burden. Fifty-two percent of Independents do not consider Israel a burden and 41% think it is.

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Saban Says Keith Ellison’s DNC Win Would Bring ‘Disaster’ to Relationship between Jews and Dems

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JTA

Haim Saban, a major Democratic Party funder, said Keith Ellison’s election as chairman of the Democratic National Committee would be a “disaster” for the relationship between Jews and the party, signaling a looming crisis between the party’s progressives and the centrist pro-Israel community.

The scathing broadside delivered Friday by the Israeli-American entertainment mogul, from the floor of the annual Saban Forum, an event he funds bringing together U.S. and Israeli leaders and influencers, underscores the degree to which Ellison’s campaign for DNC chief could erode relations between establishment Jewish groups and the party.

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Ohio House of Representatives Approves Anti-BDS Bill

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Times of Israel

The Ohio House of Representatives approved a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

The bill, HB 476, passed Wednesday by a vote of 81-13. Five members did not vote.

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American Attitudes on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

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Brookings

Pluralities of the American public support Obama Administration action at the United Nations on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before leaving office.

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Trump Said Exploring Fresh Non-Nuclear Sanctions on Iran

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Times of Israel

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is said to be considering new sanctions on Iran which would be unrelated to the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.

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Anti-Semitism Awareness Bill Passes Senate

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Inside Higher Ed

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which seeks to adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism so that the Education Department may consider it in investigating reports of religiously motivated campus crimes. The State Department defines anti-Semitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

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ADL: Ellison’s Remarks ‘Deeply Disturbing and Disqualifying’

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ADL

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today said new information that has come to light since Rep. Keith Ellison’s announced candidacy for chair of the Democratic National Committee raises “serious doubts” about his ability to faithfully represent the party’s traditional support for Israel.

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