On June 5, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a first-in-the-nation executive order that requires all state agencies under his jurisdiction to cease their dealings with companies and institutions that back the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Hani Ghazi of Adalah-NY, the New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel noted that the recent attempts to outlaw BDS reveal the movement’s effectiveness and politicians’ fears of the powerful pro-Israel lobby.

On June 5, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order to create a blacklist of entities that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, movement for Palestinian rights and remove New York State funds from any “institution or company” determined to advocate for or participate in the BDS movement.

Israeli government threats against the well-being and freedom of expression of Palestinian civil society leaders who organize for a boycott of Israel have pre-occupied human rights organizations and made headlines in recent weeks. Simultaneously, the Israeli government is escalating attacks on Palestinian writers. It is currently detaining 19 journalists and a poet.

Amidst a campaign aimed at convincing PEN American Center to reject Israeli government funding for its annual World Voices Festival that began this week, the literary group and its director Suzanne Nossel have displayed glaring double standards in their approach to cultural boycotts.

When challenged about why the group has accepted funding from Israel, Nossel reportedly told Palestine solidarity campaigners earlier this month that there was a strong reaction to the word “boycott” among her PEN colleagues.