Providence voters to decide Israel-linked divestment measure in November referendum
Supporters also note that Providence joined a 2006 divestment initiative against Sudan to protest ethnic cleansing in Darfur, a divestment campaign that was spearheaded by American Jewish groups.
Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, will be voting on an important referendum in November. This measure asks the city to refrain from investing in countries engaging in ethnic cleansing, apartheid, illegal military occupation, or genocide. While the ballot language itself does not specifically name Israel, it has been framed as a referendum on Israel and the broader Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Zack Kliger, a lead organizer for the initiative, explained that the public, especially Democratic voters, recognizes the situation in Gaza as genocide and apartheid, and wants their leaders to act accordingly. However, Israel has rejected these accusations as baseless. The campaign relies on resolutions from various international bodies, including the UN Security Council, International Court of Justice, and US courts, but the criteria for determining which countries are involved in these abuses are not clearly defined.
This is the first time a divestment measure of this nature will be put to the public vote in Providence. The city previously attempted a similar measure against Sudan in 2006, which failed. Some local Jewish groups worry that the measure could stoke divisions within the community and potentially put Jewish residents at risk. They argue that the international bodies' judgments about genocides and ethnic cleansing may be questioned.
Despite these concerns, the activists behind the initiative remain confident, pointing to the success of the similar measure in Somerville, Massachusetts, which named Israel by name.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
