Boycotting Israel Is Illegal for American Companies
In my previous articles in the category Boycotting Israel, I discussed a number of reasons why one should not boycott products from Israel:
- It retards innovation and discovery: in my article A World without Israel, I noted that boycotting Israel means ignoring scientific research from a country that contributes more to modern civilization than any other country in the whole of the Middle East.
- It is dangerous to your health: in Israel Creates more in One Month than Islam in a Century, we saw that Israel leads the world In Medical Device Patents and ignoring those could kill you.
- It means living like a primitive savage. In Boycott Israel If you Dare, we view a video showing why one cannot live in the modern world without Israeli products.
We now add a fourth reason not to boycott products from Israel: It is illegal.
IsraeliGirl, The legal penalties of supporting the BDS action against Israel
For all the noise the BDS (1) movement is making lately it seems they are (intentionally?) forgetting to mention a tiny fact - it is illegal for US firms to boycott Israel and you could face up to 10 years in prison for violating the anti boycott laws.
The antiboycott laws were adopted to encourage, and in specified cases, require U.S. firms to refuse to participate in foreign boycotts that the United States does not sanction. The law prohibits U.S. persons from taking certain actions in support of an unsanctioned foreign boycott against a country that is friendly to the United States.
Those laws discourage, and in some circumstances, prohibit U.S. companies from furthering or supporting the boycott of Israel sponsored by the Arab League, and certain Muslim countries, including complying with certain requests for information designed to verify compliance with the boycott.
US corporations are required by law to report foreign calls to join a boycott or divestment campaign against a friendly country. Corporations are additionally required to file form 5713 with their IRS tax forms declaring international boycott associated taxes and income. The form even has specific reference to boycott of Israel.
ENDNOTES
(1):
Wiki, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) refers to an economic campaign first initiated on 9 July 2005 by 171 Palestinian non-governmental organizations "... for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights." Since then, the campaign has grown and has been endorsed internationally. The three stated goals of the campaign are:
1. An end to Israel's "occupation and colonization of all Arab lands", as well as "dismantling of the Wall;"
2. Israeli recognition of the "fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality;" and,
3. Israeli respect, protection, and promotion of "the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194."
