| |  |  | Does it seem like you've seen a call to action about this legislation before? Perhaps because these terrible bills in Congress are like "the thing that wouldn't die." Seriously though, two dangerous bills continue to make their way through Congress. They could gravely undermine the work of advocates for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis. It is vital that we keep making our voices heard and keep up the pressure on Congress to oppose them. The Israel Anti-Boycott Act and the Combating BDS Act of 2017 are one part of a broader effort in our federal and state legislatures to outlaw or penalize the use of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions aimed at Israeli government policies. These bills infringe on the right to boycott which the Supreme Court has affirmed as a form of free speech. They would put legal obstacles in the way of nonviolent action to bring about social change and would hinder our freedom to steward our financial resources as we choose. (Learn more about these bills below and with the articles in the yellow box.) It is urgent that members of Congress hear from US, their constituents who oppose such bills. CONTACT CONGRESS NOW. | | | | | Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up for UMKR news and action - Click the red button to give it a try: | |  | | | | | THE ISRAEL ANTI-BOYCOTT ACT
(HR1697 and S720)
As Lara Friedman explains in Legislative Round-Up, this bill would “amend core U.S. law regarding foreign boycotts… to make it illegal for U.S. companies to boycott or otherwise discriminate against settlements based on calls by the UN or the EU.” Twenty leaders from Christian churches and organizations sent a letter to all members of Congress in November 2017, calling on them to oppose the Israel Anti-Boycott Act: "As churches and church-related organizations, we all share a hope and desire for an end to occupation, an end to violence and terrorism, and for equal rights for all people. If our respective denominations and organizations....adopt policies that employ economic leverage to advance these policy objectives, as we do with many other policy objectives, we believe it is our right to do so. It is an assertion of our right as stewards of our financial resources to spend and invest according to our theological and moral conviction...we reject any efforts by the state to curtail these rights." | | Join with thousands of activists who are taking this coordinated action in February:
You will review the message to Congress before you send it. | | | | |  | THE COMBATING BDS ACT
(HR2856 and S170)
This bill in Congress would support state-level anti-BDS legislation “by affirming the legal authority of state and local governments to take tangible actions to counter economic warfare against Israel,” as stated in the press release introducing the bill. Now a nonviolent method of addressing injustice is described as "warfare"!! Numerous states have adopted laws or executive orders aimed at boycotts of Israel and/or Israeli settlements located in occupied Palestinian territory. However! In a big victory for free speech, just last month, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on anti-bds legislation in Kansas, stating “the Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment protects the right to participate in a boycott like the one punished by the Kansas law.” | | | | | | | 3 WAYS TO BOOST
THIS ACTION! ➡︎ | | | | UMKR is an international grassroots peace movement of laity and clergy in the United Methodist Church. We are responding to the Palestinian Christians’ urgent call, in Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth, for effective action to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just peace in the Holy Land. UMKR seeks – through nonviolent action and in partnership with our Palestinian sisters and brothers in Christ – freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis. Learn more about UMKR | |  | | You have received this email because you have taken action with UMKR in the past or have signed up for our news and action. If you would like to Unsubscribe or make any other changes in your subscription, just click "Manage Subscription" below. Our email address: info@kairosresponse.org
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