Amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests at different college campuses in the U.S. a number of states have previously passed legislation, essentially making it illegal to boycott Israel.
In recent weeks, pro-Palestinian protests have broken out at colleges like Columbia University, Northwestern University, the University of Southern California and George Washington University.
At Columbia University, protesters set up a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" with supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, calling on the school to divest from Israel.
Tensions across college campuses have remained high since October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that left 1,200 people dead and saw over 200 more taken hostage. More than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began, The Associated Press reported, citing local health officials.
Despite the ongoing protests at different colleges, several U.S. states have previously passed legislation that bars state agencies from working with and investing in companies that boycott Israel and/or support the BDS movement.
The Jewish Virtual Library previously published a list of different states that have enacted this type of legislation and Newsweek used the list to create a map to show where boycotting Israel is considered illegal.
The states that have passed legislation making it illegal for state agencies to work with companies that boycott Israel include Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arkansas, Minnesota, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Kansas, North Carolina, Utah, Missouri, Idaho, West Virginia, Colorado, Mississippi and New Hampshire.
These states are shaded on the map in red.
For example, in Indiana, the state Senate passed legislation in 2016 calling for mandatory divestment by state agencies from any company involved in "the promotion of activities to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel," the Jewish Virtual Library states.
A number of other states also passed similar anti-BDS executive orders, such as New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Kentucky and South Dakota. These states are shaded on the map in pink.
In Alaska, an administrative order was signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy this year directed "state agencies to halt business transactions with entities that endorse a boycott of Israel," the Jewish Virtual Library states.
Newsweek reached out to the BDS movement via email for comment.
Critics of anti-BDS laws, like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), say that these laws "are not designed to prevent discrimination. In fact, they're designed to discriminate against disfavored political expression."
"Refusing to purchase consumer goods and services to protest a country's or company's actions is not denying anyone access to public accommodations based on who they are—it's classic political expression protected under the First Amendment," the ACLU states.
"That's where anti-BDS laws go wrong. They expressly target boycotts of companies operating in Israel or Israeli settlements because the government disapproves of the boycott's message of protest against Israel."
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
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