Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon approved new statutes on Wednesday that will allow the implementation of legislation known as the Boycott Law, which allows the government to sanction entities that call for the boycott of Israel.
The law makes it a civil offense to publicly call for the boycott of Israel and authorizes the Finance Ministry to deny certain tax benefits to individuals or groups who engage in such activity. The ministry can also add them to a special blacklist that would keep them out of the running for government contracts.
The law was passed in 2011, but enforcement has been stalled due to disagreements between the Justice Ministry and the Finance Ministry over how the law should be interpreted and enforced.
The legal wrangling culminated with a compromise agreeement, which Kahlon signed on Wednesday. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee still need to sign off on the statutes.
"I am glad we are finally able to implement the law without delay," Kahlon said on Wednesday. "This sends an important message to those who want to hurt us through an economic boycott."
