Proposal to divest Israeli funds sparks outrage
In Somerville, 'a huge backlash'
SOMERVILLE -- The Board of Aldermen has dipped into world affairs before, passing resolutions against Burma, the USA Patriot Act, and the invasion of Iraq.
But lawmakers said they had never aroused as high passions as last night, when 200 activists clashed in City Hall over a proposal to divest public money from Israel and US companies that supply its military.
''There's a huge backlash," said Alderman John M. Connolly. ''There's a whole flurry of concern."
The nonbinding resolution, drafted by the Somerville Divestment Project, nearly passed without debate last month. The group had lobbied city officials for weeks, submitted a petition signed by 1,170 people, and persuaded seven aldermen to sponsor the resolution.
The proposed text alleges human rights abuses by Israel against Palestinians, and asks Somerville to divest its $137.4 million pension fund from Israeli government bonds and any company providing bulldozers and military equipment to Israel's army. Supporters of the resolution said Somerville has invested $250,000 in Israeli bonds and $1.2 million in companies that sell weapons to Israel. The proposal would bar Somerville from investing in
By last night, however, news of the proposed resolution had spread throughout Somerville, sparking outrage among Jewish organizations.
Israel supporters, who called the first hearing speedy and secretive, quickly mobilized. Fearing the divestment strategy was moving from universities to cities, they pledged to prevent the measure's passage.
The resolution, they said, omits mention of Israel's right to statehood and ignores the Palestinian terrorism that prompts Israel's military reprisals.
Mark Niedergang, 50, spent 50 hours making 200 phone calls to recruit opponents. ''We got caught completely by surprise," he said. ''I called everyone I knew and asked them to start working on it."
The 484-word resolution was mentioned briefly in a local newspaper last Thursday, first alerting many Israel supporters. ''We didn't know it was on the agenda. It was duplicitous," said Niedergang, the former executive director of Temple B'nai Brith in Somerville.
Supporters said they had made no secret of their efforts, which included promoting the petition at T stops.
Last night's hearing again featured dozens of pro-Palestinian activists. But it also drew protests from labor unions, lawmakers, and several Jewish organizations.
The city's mayor spoke against the proposal, as did state Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, and a stream of angry residents.
Harvard Law School students distributed copies of ''The Case for Israel," donated by its author, Professor Alan Dershowitz. And Steve Grossman, a Somerville businessman and the former chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, joined the opposition.
''One-sided resolutions don't bring people to peace," he said. ''This resolution is unfair and ill-advised."
The Boston City Council sparked similar controversy last year when several councilors sponsored a resolution condemning a possible war with Iraq. But the council president killed the measure, saying it was the wrong forum to discuss geopolitics.
In Somerville, lawmakers welcomed the debate, arranging for hours of testimony. City officials moved the meeting from a boardroom into the stately aldermen chambers. And six police officers patrolled City Hall, including an escort for Meir Shlomo, Israel's consul general.
''When I read this resolution, I was insulted," Shlomo said. Despite 1,000 Israelis killed by terrorist, he said, Israel has protected human rights and maintained freedoms of speech and the press, and an independent judiciary.
''We do it in spite of terrorism, in spite of being singled out unfairly, like with this resolution," he said.
After two hours, the city's Legislative Matters committee delayed its final vote on the issue.
The proposed resolution accuses Israel of ignoring the United Nations, demolishing Palestinian homes, and using excessive force against demonstrators.
Advocates said it would help pressure Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and help Palestinians.
Medford resident Hilary Rantisi, 32, said the Israeli army had besieged her family's home in Ramallah, and held hostage her 70-year-old mother. ''I grew up living under Israeli military occupation," she said. ''It means death for Palestinians and Israelis."
The aldermen did not speak at the lengthy hearing. They next meet on Dec. 7, when Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said they should reject the resolution. Curtatone said he would veto the resolution if it passed.
Israel remains ''an important democratic ally trying to survive in an often hostile environment," he told the board. ''We should not take any actions that undermine the safety and security of the Israeli people."
