"In 2021, the Illinois board overseeing state employee pensions voted to bar funds to the company Unilever over Ben & Jerry's's decision to limit sales of its ice cream in Israel. A a result of the ruling, the state was forced to sell between $150-200 million in pension holdings and activating nearly $1 billion in coordinated state divestments nationwide."
Since 2014, U.S. lawmakers have introduced more than 200 bills aimed at the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and most have not passed. More than 30 states have adopted anti-BDS laws. Illinois passed the first state-based anti-boycott measure targeting Israel in 2015 with overwhelming support. The American Legislative Exchange Council later used the Illinois law as a template for other states. Anti-BDS policies have produced economic consequences, including Illinois pension actions against Unilever tied to Ben & Jerry’s limits on sales in Israel. Illinois officials and activists are now pursuing HB 2723 to repeal the anti-BDS law and potentially guide other legislatures, with multiple cosponsors in both chambers.
Read at Truthout
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