(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) – The California legislature on August 18 passed a bill barring all state bodies, including universities, from maintaining ties with organizations that support anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions activities. The bill prohibits state bodies from investing in companies “engaging in actions that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or otherwise limit commercial relations with the State of Israel, or companies based in the State of Israel or in territories controlled by the State of Israel.” The bill was the result of considerable lobbying efforts by the Israeli American Council (AIC), which seeks to counteract the BDS movement on legal, technological and public diplomacy levels.

Likewise, on August 16, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill banning the state’s pension fund from investing in companies that boycott Israel.