New Legal Victory in Spain: Lawfare Project’s Action Prompts City Council of Onda to Reverse Its Boycott of Israel

Yesterday, the City Council of Onda—an industrial town of 25,000 inhabitants in the region of Valencia—cancelled its own boycott of Israel in response to legal proceedings initiated by The Lawfare Project’s (LP) legal counsel in Spain.

In February 2016, the City Council joined the BDS (Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions) campaign, adopting the designation of “Free Space from Israeli Apartheid” for the city and prohibiting access to public procurement and municipal relations with Israeli companies and organizations, and with any other entities that might obtain benefits by engaging in trade with Israel.

On May 29, 2017, the LP’s Spanish legal counsel brought an action to challenge the Council’s decision. After being summoned by the Public Law Court to provide full records of the boycott agreement, the City Council convened a plenary session. Yesterday, 20 out of the 21 councillors voted to revoke the boycott, based on the legal rationale presented in the LP’s complaint.

The Lawfare Project continues to develop and sponsor a variety of anti-boycott legal strategies, which focus on the civil rights and liberties of the individuals and entities targeted by the discriminatory BDS campaign.