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Asked about gun control, Gov. Matt Bevin blames “cultural problem,” and encourages civil discourse in wake of the Louisville Kroger shooting. Oct. 25, 2018
Alfred Miller, Louisville Courier Journal
Gov. Matt Bevin signs an executive order prohibiting state contracts with companies that participate in boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) practices against Israel as Israeli Ambbadador to the United States Ron Dermer, state Rep. Tim Moore (R-Elizabethtown), Consul General of Israel to the Southeast United States Judith Varnai Shorer, Director of Community Relations for the Jewish Federation of Louisville Matthew Goldberg and Congressional Liaison for Christians United for Israel Dave Wicker look on.(Photo: Alfred Miller)
Gov. Matt Bevin reiterated his support for Israel Thursday.
A new executive order bars agencies from entering into contracts with companies that boycott Israel and other countries with which the U.S. has free trade agreements.
At a ceremony to mark the signing of the order, the Israeli ambbadador to the United States, Ron Dermer, described the global movement to boycott Israel over its treatment of Palestinians as a new form of anti-semitism.
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“There is a word for demonizing Jews, for treating the Jewish people by a different standard than you treat other people around the world,” Dermer told supporters gathered in the Capitol rotunda in Frankfort. “It’s a word with a very long pedigree. It’s called anti-semitism.”
In his remarks, Bevin said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally requested the order when the governor visited the Jewish state in June.
“The State of Israel is an important friend and trading partner to the Commonwealth,” Bevin said in a statement. “We will not allow state resources to benefit entities that intentionally engage in discriminatory practices to harm the sovereignty and economic prosperity of any ally nation. Today’s executive order makes it clear that Kentucky condemns the BDS movement and that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our friend, Israel.”
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Kentucky exported nearly $85 million worth of goods and services to Israel last year, the order said.
Bevin previously joined the governors of all 50 states and the mayor of the District of Columbia in signing the American Jewish Committee’s pledge to reject the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
Reach reporter Alfred Miller at [email protected] or 502-582-7142. Follow him on Twitter @AlfredFMiller. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.
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