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Obama Signs Israel Anti-Boycott Provisions into Law, Settlements and All
(Washington Post) Eugene Kontorovich - Congress recently passed a massive trade and customs bill containing provisions designed to oppose boycotts and similar economic warfare against Israel. President Obama signed the bill into law on Wednesday, stating that he objected to parts of the law that oppose boycotts of Jewish Israeli enterprises in the West Bank and Golan Heights. However, his statement does not in any way limit the reach or finality of the law. One of the main operative provisions of the law bans the enforcement of foreign judgments against Israeli entities that are based on the mistaken notion that doing business in Israeli-controlled territories is illegal. This law is part of Congress' exclusive legislative power to regulate the procedures of the federal courts, a power in no way shared with the president. As of now, U.S. law clearly opposes boycotts that are "politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli-controlled territories."