“And it’s very simple. If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you. If you divert revenues from Israel, New York will divert revenues from you. If you sanction Israel, New York will sanction you. Period,” said Cuomo on Sunday, just before a Celebrate Israel Parade in the city.
Cuomo described the protest movement as an “economic attack” on Israel. Many consider the governor’s statements to be hypocritical, as he previously called for a boycott of North Carolina over their discriminatory bathroom laws.
“A global movement committed to fighting nonviolently to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the subjugation of the Palestinian people in the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, BDS has been under increasing attack, by those threatened by the support for human rights it has galvanized worldwide, and for shining a critical light on the abusive policies of the Israeli government, when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians,” Common Dreams wrote of Cuomo’s order.
The order, which many suggest is unconstitutional, quickly faced backlash from free-speech activists and the Palestine community in the US.
During his statements, Cuomo declared that BDS supporters are an “enemy,” and promised that New York is a “true friend” to Israel, that they share a “common enemy,” in those who support the BDS human-rights movement.
