"It should be clear that we as individuals have a right to engage in peaceful individual boycotts."
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERICaption: BDS supporters hold a protest against Israel in South Africa's Gauteng province recently(photo credit: BDS SOUTH AFRICA)
An Arizona law requiring contractors not to boycott Israel was overruled by a federal court on Friday, claiming that it violates the free speech rights of the contractors under the First Ammendment of the Constitution, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).The state law "unquestionably burdens the protected expression of companies wishing to engage in such a boycott," according to US District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa, the first Native American woman to be appointed as a federal judge.The law, enacted in 2016, states that any contracters that work with state or local government in Arizona must have written certification that they are not and will not boycott Israel.The ACLU attempted to challenge the Arizona law on behalf of attorney Mikkel Jordahl, who stated that "boycotts are an important way for people to collectively call for social change.""It should be clear that we as individuals have a right to engage in peaceful individual boycotts," he continued.Jordahl himself boycotts Israel due to "Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories," according to the ACLU.
