Dozens of Israeli law professors protest anti-boycott law

[News_Editor]

Dozens of Israeli law professors protest anti-boycott law

2011-07-14 21:38:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEL AVIV (BNO NEWS) -- Dozens of Israeli law professors have signed a petition against the recently passed boycott Law, which they say is unconstitutional, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday.

Thirty-two law professors at universities and colleges across Israel signed the petition addressed to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein. In the petition, the professors state that the Boycott Law is unconstitutional and harms the freedom of political expression.

The Israeli parliament on Monday passed a law penalizing persons or organizations that boycott Israel or the West Bank settlements. Under the terms of the new law, a person or an organization calling for the boycott of Israel, including the settlements, can be sued for compensation by the boycott's targets without having to prove that they sustained damage.

Among the signatories are several former and current deans of Israeli law schools. Professor Alon Harel of the Hebrew University and Professor Frances Raday of the College of Management, who initiated the petition, said signatures will be sought until the end of the week.

According to Harel, the law represents what political theory calls the "tyranny of the majority," which is when "political entities exploit the fact that they represent the majority to silence and at times even persecute the minority."

"From a legal perspective, we're talking about restrictions on political expression, when the restrictions are not neutral with regard to worldview, but are aimed at promoting one viewpoint and subjugating another, a clear expression of the tyranny of the majority," Harel told Haaretz.

Raday said that the Boycott Law is dangerous because it restricts freedom of expression regarding one of the deepest conflicts in Israeli politics - the future of the territories and the settlements. "Personally I don't support boycotts of any sort," she said. "But I think that the part of the Jewish people that is concerned about the policy toward the territories should be permitted to express its opinion, even if it's by boycotting products."

The new law, which has been strongly opposed by rights groups, passed by a vote of 47 to 38. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present during the vote.

Netanyahu, however, said that although he was absent from the vote, he nevertheless supported the legislation. He told the parliament on Wednesday that the law was the product of a democratic process in a democratic state, and it doesn't mar Israel's image in the least.

"What mars its image are the reckless, irresponsible attacks against the legitimate attempt by a democracy on the defensive to draw a line between what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable," he said.

Before the vote, the Israeli parliament's legal adviser, attorney Eyal Yanon, published a legal assessment saying parts of the law edge towards "illegality and perhaps beyond." He went on to warn that the law "damages the core of freedom of expression in Israel." Yanon's assessment contradicts that of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, who said the bill is legal.

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