U.S. Police Departments Nix Participation in Joint Program With Israel After BDS Pressure

This is the first time in the ADL program's two-decade-long history that political pressure led police departments to pull out

WASHINGTON - Two police departments in the northeastern United States decided over the past week to cancel their participation in a program that involves visiting Israel and meeting Israeli police officers, due to public pressure by a coalition of progressive organizations, including a number of groups affiliated with the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement (BDS).

This is the first time in the program’s two decades that political pressure has led to police departments canceling their participation.

The program these police departments were planning to join is managed by the Anti-Defamation League. It is titled “Resiliency and Counterterrorism” and includes a week-long seminar in Israel, during which participating police officers from across the U.S. learn how Israeli law enforcement deals with the threat of terrorism.

The American officers meet with Israeli and Palestinian police officers during the visit and learn from their experience.

The opponents of this program, including a number of groups affiliated with the BDS movement and others focused on domestic law enforcement issues in the U.S., claim that the program inspires police departments and other law enforcement agencies in the U.S., including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, to adopt harsher policies commonly used in Israel.

This claim is denied by the ADL, which says the program focuses on dealing with terrorist threats and the importance of community-police ties to successfully dealing with such threats.