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International pressure on Israeli settlements renews push for US anti-boycott laws

Pro-Israel advocates trying to fight boycotts of Israel's settlements face a new urgency as the UN turns its spotlight on the West Bank, but legal challenges to federal and state laws are creating significant hurdles.
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Pro-Israel groups are doubling down on their efforts to pass anti-boycott legislation in Congress after a string of recent setbacks.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced last month that it is examining 206 businesses for inclusion in a potential database of companies operating in the West Bank, including 22 US firms. Just the day before, foes of the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement lost the first legal battle over their efforts when a federal judge placed an injunction on a Kansas law requiring individuals and companies contracting with the state to sign a certification indicating that they are “not currently engaged in a boycott of Israel.”

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