Netanyahu defends boycott law

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended a controversial law that bans calls for boycotts on Israel passed on Monday in the Knesset. The law allows any person or organization that calls for the boycott of Israel, including settlements, to be sued by the boycott’s targets without proof of damage. It’s up to the courts to decide how much compensation must be paid. The law also stipulates that a person or organization that calls for boycotts won’t be able to bid in government tenders. “I approved the law, and if I hadn’t approved it, it wouldn’t have passed.,” said Netanyahu Wednesday, who was absent from the vote. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni accused the prime minister of stoking tensions in Israel: “You are leading Israel into an abyss.”

Ha’aretz