Providence, Rhode Island, Ballot Question 7 Sparks Debate: Mayor Backs Divesting the City Pension from Israeli Bonds, Opponents Call It Overreach
Voters in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island, will decide a binding ballot question on November 3 — Question 7 — that would prohibit the city from doing business with Israel, although the measure does not name Israel directly. It would require the city to "divest from countries and companies profiting from genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and prolonged military occupation."
Zack Kligler of the group Providence for Palestine, which backs the measure, said that if Providence divests it would become the largest U.S. city to divest and the first to do so directly by popular vote. Mayor Brett Smiley, a staunch supporter of Israel, is urging voters to reject Question 7, arguing Providence's vote will not affect Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu or the U.S. Defense Department. Democratic mayoral nominee David Morales fully supports the measure.
If it passes, the measure is considered certain to be challenged in court. Maria Friedman, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel, also opposes it. At least nine U.S. cities have adopted restrictions on Israel investment, including Hayward, California; Iowa City, Iowa; and Portland, Maine. Results will come on election night, November 3.
Source: GSM America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：罗得岛州议会大厦（普罗维登斯）。Kenneth C. Zirkel摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Rhode Island State House in Providence. Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
