Human Rights Lawyer Noura Erakat Arrested During Palm Beach County Budget Hearing on Israeli Bond Investments

Human-rights attorney Noura Erakat was forcibly removed and arrested at a Palm Beach County, Florida, budget hearing concerning the county’s more than $1 billion purchase of Israeli government bonds. While attempting to speak about “basic free speech,” Erakat was hand-picked by police, handcuffed, and detained for two hours before being released on bail after being charged with a misdemeanor trespass.

The Guardian

The county’s bond purchase is the largest municipal investment in Israeli securities in the United States and has drawn criticism as public opinion toward Israel has declined. A resident-led lawsuit filed last year alleged the investment violated local statutes requiring foreign investments to meet specific rating standards and prohibiting politically motivated purchases. That case was dismissed for lack of standing, but the plaintiffs are appealing. The controversy has spurred a national “Break the Bonds” campaign urging divestment from Israeli bonds at the local, state, and institutional levels.

The Guardian

County officials declined to comment when approached for a response. She later indicated that only residents would be permitted to speak and that individuals applauding would be removed. County commissioners abruptly canceled the scheduled discussion after the disruption.

The Guardian

Michael Omer-Man, director of Israel-Palestine at the human-rights group Dawn, said the investments are increasingly indefensible on fiduciary grounds. Former State Department official Charles Blaha, also a Dawn adviser, contended that the county suppressed legitimate free-speech and public debate to avoid defending the controversial purchase.

The Guardian

• “I insisted that I had a right to stay, they didn’t know what I was going to talk about, they were racially profiling me,” — Erakat. Investments

The Guardian

• “It’s becoming harder and harder to argue that these investments are being made purely for fiduciary or financially sound reasons,” — Michael Omer-Man, director of Israel-Palestine at the US-based human rights group Dawn

The Guardian