(JTA) — The Ohio Legislature introduced a resolution against the boycott of Israel on college campuses.
The measure presented Wednesday in the General Assembly by Rep. Andy Thompson, a Republican, calls for increased ties in business, government, the arts, and education between the state of Ohio and Israel. It also includes a denouncement of the rise in anti-Semitism incidents nationwide.
In March, the Ohio State University student government voted down measures that would have seen the school divest from Israel, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Students debated the issue and protested on campus.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement aims to financially hinder Israel by boycotting U.S. companies with Israeli connections.
Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, a nonprofit organization that educates Christians “about their biblical responsibility to stand with their Jewish brethren and the state of Israel,” was among the major proponents of the resolution.
“By working to delegitimize the State of Israel, BDS not only intends to destroy the Jewish homeland, but it also violates Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act as it pertains to Jewish students and protecting their Constitutional rights on campus,” Laurie Cardoza-Moore, the group’s president, said in a statement. “We will not stop until the anti-Semitic BDS movement is condemned globally.”
The statement noted that 10 states have passed similar resolutions and Ohio is the 12th to introduce one, while many others are in the process of doing so.
This year, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations launched its Campus Community Initiative aimed at stopping the BDS movement on U.S. campuses.
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