Providence voters approve ballot initiative that would back divestment from Israel

JTA — Voters in Providence, Rhode Island, have approved a ballot measure that could result in the city divesting public funds from Israel, in a major victory for the Israel boycott movement.

With 81 of 82 polling locations partially reported, the Rhode Island Board of Elections tallies 75% voting to approve the measure versus 25% rejecting. Both the Rhode Island Current and the Boston Globe report the measure was approved.

The ordinance calls for the capital city to refrain from investing in “foreign countries conducting ethnic cleansing, apartheid, illegal military occupation, or genocide.” Though the ballot language does not mention Israel by name, it was heavily supported by local pro-Palestinian groups and opposed by some Jewish and pro-Israel groups.

A representative for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island previously told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the group would explore legal options to challenge the ballot measure in the event that it passed.

The vote makes Providence the largest municipality yet to vote in favor of some form of Israel divestment, following the lead of Somerville, Massachusetts, whose voters approved a nonbinding divestment measure last year. Providence is home to an estimated 15,000 Jews, or around 7% of its population. Progressive Jewish groups, including the local chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, were among the ballot measure’s advocates.

The city’s mayor, Brett Smiley, a pro-Israel progressive who converted to Judaism while in office, lost his primary to a democratic socialist, an early indicator of which way the divestment vote would go.

Activist initiatives to challenge US financial aid to Israel have picked up steam in the years since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and ensuing Gaza war.