US City Links Hurricane Relief to Support for Israel

Al Jazeera English quotes USCPR Executive Director Yousef Munayyer on state-level efforts to quash support for the movement for Palestinian rights through anti-boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) laws. The city of Dickinson, TX, qualified receiving relief grants for Hurricane Harvey on certifying that the applicant will not boycott the state of Israel.

“This type of anti-BDS legislation is something we’ve been tracking for some time and we are aware of,” Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, told Al Jazeera.

“People that want to help rebuild areas that were devastated by natural disasters have to pass a litmus test on their thoughts on the Middle East,” Munayyer said. “Even for someone like myself, who is aware to this type of legislation, it’s shocking to see it be applied to hurricane relief.”

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For Munayyer, it is clear who is behind these bills.

“There is no secret where this is coming from: There is a variety of pro-Israel interest groups that have made this their agenda, at the federal level as well,” he said.

“To see that American lawmakers are willing to curtail the civil liberties of American citizens like this is shameful.”

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