Pro-BDS American lawyers’ group settles with Israeli organization

The policy must be “prominently and indefinitely” displayed on NLG’s national website, per the settlement.

Finally, NLG is mandated to publish a new ad from the Bibliotechnical Athenaeum that “congratulates” the NLG “for reaffirming its commitment to non-discrimination.”

“This settlement makes it crystal-clear to all who seek to engage in the type of conduct BDS advocates for that such conduct is, at its core, unlawful commercial discrimination,” Benjamin Ryberg, who served as lead counsel in this case, told JNS. “This case underscores the potential consequences awaiting those who violate civil- and human-rights law by illegally discriminating against Israelis, and deters future discrimination based on national origin, citizenship, religion and all other protected classes.”

David Abrams, executive director of the Zionist Advocacy Center and a representative of the plaintiff, told JNS that “the case is important because it emphasizes that boycotts of Israel and Israelis are illegal under American laws. To be sure, organizations have the right to criticize Israeli policies.”

However, he continued, “when organizations start engaging in actual boycotts of Israeli persons and entities, they cross an important line, and those of us in the civil-rights legal community will fight them in the courts.”