New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an unprecedented executive order on Sunday for agencies under his control to divest from companies and organizations aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS).
Cuomo announced the order at the Harvard Club in Manhattan, then marched in New York’s Celebrate Israel Parade with 30,000 pro-Israel supporters.
Cuomo told his audience, “If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you. If you divert revenues from Israel, New York will divert revenues from you. If you sanction Israel, New York will sanction you.”
The order gives the Office of General Services generous leeway to compose a list over the next six months of any groups engaged in, “boycott, divestment or sanctions actively targeting Israel, either directly or through a parent or subsidiary.” The list will be available to the public.
Once all the names are named, executive-branch agencies—including public-benefit corporations, public boards, and much of the state government— will be obligated to divest from any group on the list.
Cuomo is the first governor in the country to sign an executive order denouncing the BDS movement.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer said on Sunday that he’s so inspired by Cuomo’s blacklist, he’d like to help implement it on a federal level. Schemer told reports “I think that the state (of New York) should not do any business with any company that participates in BDS, and I am looking at introducing a federal law to do the same thing. BDS is a movement that is just totally unfair to Israel.”
