Ohio’s Cuyahoga County will no longer consider a resolution seeking to divest from its ownership of $16 million worth of State of Israel Bonds, after the state’s attorney general warned the move could violate Ohio law.
Council Vice President Cheryl Stephens and Councilman Patrick Kelly say they are withdrawing their resolution, which had touched off an impassioned debate within the council and the larger Cleveland metro area, according to Cleveland.com.
However, the pair are continuing to urge county Treasurer Brad Cromes to drop all foreign investments, as the resolution had called for, “until a thorough review of the policy can be conducted,” they say in a letter to Cromes and county executive Chris Ronayne.
Earlier Thursday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost warned in a letter to Ronayne that approving the resolution would violate a 2016 law prohibiting boycotts of Israel.
Ohio holds over $260 million in Israel Bonds, making it among the largest public holders of the asset in the US.
According to Cleveland.com, divesture would cost the county some $95,000.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 14, 2024
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
