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Proposal to Divest Israeli Funds Sparks Outrage in Somerville, Mass.
(Boston Globe)Benjamin Gedan - Last week 200 activists clashed in Somerville, Mass., City Hall over a proposal to divest public money from Israel and U.S. companies that supply its military. 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. News of the proposed resolution spread throughout Somerville, sparking outrage among Jewish organizations. Israel supporters called the first hearing speedy and secretive. ''When I read this resolution, I was insulted," said Meir Shlomo, Israel's consul general. Despite 1,000 Israelis killed by terrorists, he said, Israel has protected human rights and maintained freedoms of speech and the press, and an independent judiciary "in spite of terrorism, in spite of being singled out unfairly, like with this resolution."