(José Niño, Headline USA) Israeli leaders have called on a record number of American state legislators to enact strict laws targeting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement during a landmark conference in Jerusalem.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar directly lobbied 250 American state legislators visiting Jerusalem this week to enact laws targeting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement in their home states, according to a report by The Middle East Eye.
The fully funded conference, which brought together five lawmakers from each of the 50 states from Sunday to Thursday, represented the largest delegation of American elected officials to ever visit Israel. The Israeli government covered all expenses, including roundtrip flights, accommodations, meals, and programming for the bipartisan group of Democratic and Republican legislators.
During his address to the delegation, Sa’ar characterized the BDS movement as part of “a coordinated global effort to eliminate the State of Israel” and described Israel’s opponents as engaging in “propaganda, political, legal and economic warfare.” He explicitly told the lawmakers that “the best answer against BDS, until this day has been anti-BDS legislation by your states” while urging them to strengthen their efforts by declaring that “the boycotters must be boycotted,” per a report by The Idaho Statesman.
The conference occurred during a particularly sensitive period, coinciding with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Israel and following controversial Israeli strikes in Qatar. The timing also came shortly after a UN report concluded that Israel had carried out four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Sa’ar’s lobbying effort builds on existing momentum across American states. As of 2025, 38 states have enacted laws, executive orders, or resolutions designed to discourage boycotts of Israel. These measures typically require government contractors to certify they are not boycotting Israel or mandate public pension funds divest from companies participating in BDS activities.
The first state anti-BDS law passed in Illinois in 2015, with dozens of other states following suit using template legislation developed by pro-Israel organizations including the Israel Allies Foundation, AIPAC, and various Jewish federations.
The BDS movement, launched in 2005, calls for economic pressure on Israel until it “ends its occupation, treats Palestinian citizens equally, and honors the internationally recognized right of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to the homes they were expelled from or fled during Israel’s creation.” The movement encompasses boycotts of Israeli products and companies, divestment from businesses operating in Israeli settlements, and sanctions against Israel.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
