The BDS movement didn’t look like it was on Monday’s Corvallis City Council agenda, but that didn’t stop the Council from deciding to move forward on it.
But before we get into that, let’s look at BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement; and what it is and some different views of it. The movement explains itself as Palestinian led and asserts that Israel is a colonizing apartheid state that is committing genocide. The movement’s organizers, among many other things, urge banks, local councils, churches, pension funds, and universities to withdraw investments from the State of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that sustain what they view as Israeli apartheid.
In a minute, you’ll see that an organization needn’t be affiliated with the BDS National Committee to be aligned with it, and to campaign for it.
The ADL, or Anti-Defamation League says, “BDS presents a biased and simplistic approach to the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict, positioning this dispute over territorial and nationalist claims as the fault of only one party – Israel – while ignoring other actors and dynamics such as Palestinian shared responsibility for the continuation of the conflict. BDS advocates for self-determination for Palestinians while denying to Jews that same right.”
According to the ADL, the BDS movement often uses the words genocide, apartheid and colonialist so hyperbolically and inaccurately that they’ve reduced the terms to antisemitic epithets. They also see the movement’s requirements for people-to-people interactions and dialogue between Palestinians and Jews as inherently antisemitic.
Over thirty U.S. states have laws on the books opposing the BDS movement. Some of those states are generally viewed as conservative, but others are viewed as progressive.
Here’s what happened at Monday’s Council meeting: It started with Ward 2 Councilor Briae Lewis during Councilor Reports, a somewhat free-flowing portion of most Council meetings. It comes at the end, and councilors can pretty much bring up whatever they want. They can make a motion, even if it isn’t on the agenda.
So, Lewis wanted to know if a draft titled A Resolution Prohibiting Investment in Genocide, Apartheid and Illegal Occupation could be sent for a legal review in preparation for the Council to consider its passage at a later date. These reviews require funding, so they need Council approval.
Mayor Charles Maughan responded to Lewis saying he would recommend a motion to move forward. Lewis then motioned for approval of the legal review, and Ward 6 Councilor Alison Bowden seconded. The yes votes were Councilors Lewis, Jim Moorefield, Ava Olson, Charlyn Ellis, Bowden, and Paul Shaffer.
Councilors Jan Napack, Carolyn Mayers and Tony Cadena voted no.
Reading between the lines: This is our analysis. The draft doesn’t directly identify the BDS movement or Israel, but it does refer to Investigate.info as a place the City could find lists of companies to financially divest from. When you navigate to the site, their lists have titles like, Divesting for Palestinian Rights and Companies Profiting from Gaza Genocide.
Their lists share many commonalities with BDS lists.
Some on the Council questioned the necessity of this particular divestment resolution, given the Council had already, back in 2022, passed a resolution prohibiting the City from investing in companies that produce weapons of war.
For this reason and others, a few of the Councilors expressed the concern that this latest resolution could, therefore, be considered politically motivated by some. It is probably correct to assume that many in Corvallis’ Jewish community will see this latest move by the Corvallis City Council as antisemitic.
Councilors Cadena and Mayers advocated for having the draft resolution vetted by the City’s financial staff and advisors before being sent for a legal review. The financial review is cost free; the attorney review isn’t. That the Council voted 6-3 to vet both financially and legally simultaneously could indicate how the Council will ultimately vote on the matter.
Cadena, Mayers and City Manager Mark Shepard expressed worries about the resolution being overly broad. Most readers would probably agree. You can read the draft to essentially say the City cannot invest anywhere.
Also, many terms within the draft are left undefined. There is ambiguity throughout, and taken together with the broadness, it is easy to envision the draft’s language as open to multitudinous unforeseeable interpretations by current and future City officials.
Here’s the Draft Resolution’s Language
A RESOLUTION PROHIBITING INVESTMENT IN GENOCIDE, APARTHEID, AND ILLEGAL OCCUPATION
WHEREAS, the City of Corvallis has adopted Resolution 2022-49, thus committing to support the redirection of institutions and resources of our nations from their present dedication to war, towards the fostering of peace, justice, and a healthy, sustainable environment for our earth and its inhabitants.
WHEREAS, the City of Corvallis, also in Resolution 2022-49, thus commits to avoid investment in military contractors, munitions and nuclear weapons manufacturers.
WHEREAS, the City of Corvallis also does not want to support companies that benefit from and contribute to genocide, apartheid, illegal occupation, mass incarceration, or mass deportation.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CORVALLIS RESOLVES to continue to set a progressive standard for responsible ethical investing by avoiding investment in companies that are directly and consistently involved in such human rights violations.
AND THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CORVALLIS RESOLVES that the city shall not make investments in non-pool public or private equity, debt, bonds, or currency issued by entities directly, consistently, and knowingly involved in violations of human rights, such as genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation, as well as other violations of international human rights law, including war crimes, ethnic cleansing, mass incarceration, and mass deportations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that one current implementation guide that can be used toward identifying such companies is the American Friends Service Committee’s (AFSC) database of companies, which can be accessed at https://investigate.info. However, the City of Corvallis will use the tools and techniques that are best available at the times of investment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Corvallis will continue to work with its investment advisors to actively manage its investments in order to abide by this resolution in its entirety, the existing Financial Policy as outlined in Attachment H, Section 4, describing the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance risk factors into the investment decision-making framework, as well as uphold the FY 2025-2029 Strategic Plan, particularly point 1 of “Excellence in Governance:” “Strengthen public trust by providing a respectful and transparent process,” as well as point 4 of “Safe and Resilient City:” “Support the social and emotional well-being of residents.”
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Corvallis aspires to make investments that prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of the citizens of Corvallis, the citizens of our shared world, and future generations as well.
By Halie Greenberg and Steven J. Schultz
Correction: Ward 6 Councilor Alison Bowden seconded the motion to send the Israeli divestment resolution for legal review, a prior version of this article reported it had been Ward 5 Councilor Charlyn Ellis.
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