Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed an executive order on Friday that forbids the state government from conducting business with companies that boycott Israel. Wisconsin is the 24th state to do so.
The executive order, Executive Order #261, denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as serving “to inflame conflict” and noted that Wisconsin and Israel have “a robust trading relationship.”
Walker said in a statement, “We stand firmly against discrimination in any form and we wholly support our friends in Israel. I look forward to leading a trade delegation to Israel to foster new trade partnerships between Wisconsin and Israeli businesses.”
The former presidential candidate will be going to Israel on Friday.
Walker also expressed a support for a bill in the state legislature that “would prohibit any entity in state government or local government from adopting a rule, ordinance, policy, or procedure that involves the entity in a boycott of Israel, or a boycott of a person doing business in Israel or in a territory under Israeli jurisdiction,” according to WisPolitics.com.
Various Jewish organizations praised Walker for his executive order in a press release issued by Wisconsin Jewish Federations.
“Governor Walker and the State of Wisconsin have firmly taken a stand against the BDS movement and its discriminatory policies against Israeli businesses and individuals, which undermines Middle East peace,” said William Daroff, senior vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America.
“We thank Governor Walker and all the state legislators who have shown leadership on this issue,” said Michael Blumenfeld, director of the Wisconsin Jewish Conference. “The state Jewish community has had significant concerns about the impact of BDS. This order addresses and satisfies the issue.”
