ISRAEL REJECTS APPEAL AGAINST ANTI-BOYCOTT LAW

West Bank, 28 Jumadil Akhir 1436/17 April 2015 (MINA) – The Israeli High Court of Justice yesterday rejected an appeal against a law which limits Israelis’ ability to call for boycotts of illegal West Bank settlements, AFP reported.

Though calling for boycotts under the 2011 law is not illegal, companies can file civil lawsuits demanding compensation from those that do.

Israeli rights groups had said the law infringes on the right to free speech, while defenders of the law said it prohibits discrimination based on geography, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

A panel of nine judges determined that the law was mostly on solid ground. However, one clause was rejected: a section stipulating that courts may order unlimited sums in compensation to plaintiffs without proof of damages.

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Justice Hanan Meltzer agreed that the law limited free speech; however he said the law was needed as boycotts were an undesired measure.

Petitioners lambasted the court’s ruling, calling the anti-boycott legislation “a law to silence dissent, intended solely to hush up legitimate criticisms.

The High Court’s ruling enables serious injury to freedom of speech and to the basic right to political action on issues of contest.” (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)