Today, in response to the Oklahoma legislature passing a law that penalizes Americans who call for boycott of Israel or Israeli settlements, Daniel Sokatch, CEO of the New Israel Fund, released the following statement:

“Democracies protect freedom of expression and dissent; they don’t silence citizens. Make no mistake: this legislation is an effort to gag those who oppose settlements.

“The New Israel Fund does not support the BDS movement, but anyone who cares about freedom of speech as a pillar of democracy understands that this legislation, like the Missouri law passed two weeks ago, harms Israel and harms free speech.

“This law was designed by Israel’s extremist far-right to make sure that there will never be a two-state solution. I’m proud to stand with all those who stand up to this extremist erasure of the Green Line. The New Israel Fund and our partners and grantees in Israel will continue leading the charge to protect the democratic values and institutions we hold dear.”