TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE JOINT RESOLUTION 81
Submitted by
Nancy Baron-Baer, Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League, Southern New Jersey
Joshua Cohen, Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League, North and Central New Jersey
New Jersey State Assembly, State and Local Government Committee
November 16, 2015, Trenton, NJ
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) fully supports New Jersey State Joint Resolution 81 which condemns the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS) and any manifestation of it in the State of New Jersey.
BDS is a biased and simplistic approach to the complex nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It casts a dispute over territorial and nationalist claims as the fault of only one party – Israel. We all hope and pray for a true resolution to the conflict that allows for a secure, independent and prosperous future for both Palestinians and Israelis. The reality is that BDS offers no such path to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, reconciliation or peace. It offers no constructive improvement for Palestinians. Its advocates do not support a two-state solution. Rather, they seek to merely to isolate and demonize Israel and deny the Jewish state the right to self-determination and statehood.
To be sure, criticism of Israel and Israeli policies can be reasonable and legitimate, but BDS, which singles out Israel for pariah status, is neither reasonable nor legitimate – it is biased and disproportionate.
We have seen on more than one New Jersey campus the divisive impact of BDS, and have witnessed the needless agitation and division of the student body, and on some campuses, Jewish, pro-Israel, and even uninvolved students made to feel isolated and besieged.
As legislators, you have the responsibility and opportunity to condemn the BDS movement’s attempts at divisive and simplistic solutions, to publically state your disapproval of the movement, and help to educate the public about the true goals of the movement. You have an opportunity to support initiatives which build connections, encourage interaction, foster relationships between Israelis and Palestinians and help prepare both societies for peace. You have the ability to promote the investment of mutually-beneficial business, academic, and cultural ties with Israel.
We support SJR81 as an important declaration by our state that New Jersey recognizes and rejects the insidious and destructive nature of the BDS campaign, and will work to enhance the already strong ties between New Jersey and Israel, and to work for peace, justice and equality.