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Comment by User23 | Hacker News Reader

The logic is very simple. You just can’t boycott Israel.

Edit: And you can’t post about how you can’t boycott Israel either.

So a Republican legislature could pass a law in a state saying that you can't contribute money to a Democratic candidate if you want to work for the state as a contractor or employee - that seems pretty close to what they've done here, it's just the opposite of a boycott (giving money instead of withholding it)

To steelman the other side, you can’t work for the US government while antagonizing a formal ally of the US government.

These are all state laws, not federal.

Thanks, that is kind of weird. US states aren’t supposed to engage in foreign policy.

Article I section 10 of the US constitution specifically enumerates what states aren’t permitted to do. It’s not a blanket prohibition on engaging in foreign policy. And that’s not even bringing in the 9th and 10th amendments. Section 10 itself enumerates a circumstance under which a State may wage war for example.

Indeed, as anyone who has driven into California from Oregon knows, the states are even able to execute foreign policy against other states. Specifically for agricultural inspections in that case.

I think Article I section 8 may also apply, specifically the Commerce clause:

> The Congress shall have Power [...] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations

A state prohibiting or requiring the purchase of goods from a particular foreign nation would seem to be encroaching on a Federal power. Especially if this bit gets interpreted as broadly as the next bit does (regulating commerce "among the several States").

To steelman you need to show the same standard would be applied to formal allies besides Israel. I’m very curious to hear about any examples. I haven’t been able to find any. For example there doesn’t appear to be any action to restrict the Morocco boycott movement, despite their being the USA’s longest formal ally.

Also, remember the risible anti-French boycotts during the Bush 2 administration because they weren’t enthusiastic about an obviously fake casus belli? France was and is an important formal ally of the USA and those boycotts would never be legislatively opposed.

Are there any formal allies that are primarily defined by ethnicity and are seeing boycotts against them (which often look very much like they're boycotting because of ethnicity, not political ideology, e.g. they wouldn't boycott others for doing the same)?

Italy, Japan, etc define their nationality through ethnicity (ius sangui). Greece defines nationality in a very convoluted way, but its basically trying to find ethnic Greeks.

In fact nationality through ethnicity is the norm. What isn't common is that every country but Israel is being pressured to change their nationality laws.

I haven't seen calls for boycott against Italy, Japan or Greece, especially not because of the ethnicity of the inhabitants. I wonder if we'd see it if there was a sizable Anti-Italian movement in the US.

You asked if other countries have ethnic nationality, and I pointed out that most do.

I added that, while I read The Economist and other "thought leader" rags call for a liberation of Japan, Italy, etc nationality law, I have never read any respectable editorial arguing the same for Israel.

I did not mention anything about boycotts. but, since you asked, Japan and Italy were both boycotted (blockaded, actually) in the 30s for occupying territories and putting settlers there.

Israel is not defined by ethnicity, I can get Israeli citizenship if I claim that I have converted to Judaism.

If we go further with this reasoning we should also shield Saudi Arabia, UAE, Vatican City, Maldives, etc.. from boycott.

> Israel is not defined by ethnicity, I can get Israeli citizenship if I claim that I have converted to Judaism.

Don’t they only accept ultra-orthodox conversions?[1] Good luck with that.

Jewish conversion is much more akin to a tribal adoption into the community than it is to conversion in the other Abrahamic faiths. For Christianity, depending on the denomination, conversion can be as little as saying you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. And in Islam literally all you have to do is sincerely say the shahada and you’re Muslim.

Edit: [1] looks like there was just recently a supreme court case permitting non orthodox conversions, but I expect the Knesset will overturn it.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-top-court-recognizes-r...

Actually this is a constitutional right

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