
New Georgia law revives Israel oath for large state contracts
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure into law Monday that requires businesses with significant state contracts to sign an oath pledging not to boycott Israel.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure into law Monday that requires businesses with significant state contracts to sign an oath pledging not to boycott Israel.
The governor signed the legislation months after a federal judge struck down a similar 2016 law requiring state contractors to sign the oath on grounds that it violated free speech rights. That challenge was brought by a documentary filmmaker who refused to sign the pledge.
The legislation aims to counter the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement that protests Israel’s policies regarding Palestinians. Georgia was among the first of dozens of states to enact such a law, which largely passed along party lines in the GOP-controlled Legislature in 2016.
The opponents pointed out that U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that the anti-boycott pledge that the documentarian was asked to sign was “no different than requiring a person to espouse certain political beliefs or to engage in certain political associations.”