The Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee has approved an amendment to Israel's anti-boycott law increasing the fines imposed on anyone calling for the economic, cultural or academic boycott of Israel.
The bill, which passed with a majority vote of nine coalition committee members, will be presented for a parliamentary vote in the coming weeks.
Wednesday's vote took place despite the objections of Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit. Opposition members who sit on the committee were absent from the vote in protest over the decision to hold it despite Mendelblit's objections.
The anti-boycott law, officially the Prevention of Damage to the State of Israel through Boycott Law, allows the finance minister to impose civil sanctions on entities that promote a boycott against an institution or individual under Israeli control because of their "affiliation with Israel."
While the original letter of the law does not specify the amount of the fines that can be imposed on those who urge such boycotts, leaving it to the discretion of the finance minister, the amendment suggests imposing fine of up to 100,000 shekels ($28,000) on the culprit regardless of proof of damage, and up to NIS 500,000 ($140,000) if the culprit is found to be a serial offender.
In his legal opinion, Mendelblit opposed setting the fines in law, saying that as "the law itself, to an extent, undermines freedom of expression … provisions pretaining to punitive monetary measures even if capped, raise significant constitutional difficulties."
Committee Chairman MK Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi) insisted that "this bill is valid and it means that those who boycott Israel will face actual fines."
Likud MK Yoav Kisch, who sponsored the amendment, said he thought it was "symbolic" that the bill passed its committee vote mere hours after Argentina's national soccer team announced it was canceling its final World Cup warmup match against Israel because of pressure by the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
"We have to confront the BDS movement united and we have to state, in no uncertain terms, that no one can boycott the State of Israel and that doing that will come with a hefty price, especially if these calls come from within."
