December 21, 2021

Stan Rupnik
Illinois Investment Policy Board 100 W. Randolph, 16th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601

Douglas Wesley
Illinois Investment Policy Board 100 W. Randolph, 16th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601

Dipesh Mehta
Illinois Investment Policy Board 100 W. Randolph, 16th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601

Michael R. Mahoney
Illinois Investment Policy Board 100 W. Randolph, 16th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601

Andrew Lappin
Illinois Investment Policy Board 100 W. Randolph, 16th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601

Alicia Oberman
Illinois Investment Policy Board 100 W. Randolph, 16th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601

 

Dear Illinois Investment Policy Board:

We are Jewish Illinoisans writing to urge the Illinois Investment Policy Board to refrain from adding Unilever PLC to the Illinois Prohibited Investment List. The implications of such a move would be a significant departure from longstanding US foreign policy. As members of the community who care deeply about Israel’s future, we object because this step undermines efforts to enable Israel to live in peace and to maintain its character as a democracy and a Jewish state.

The July 2021 Ben & Jerry’s decision to cease sales of its product in Israeli settlements is a principled pro-Israel position. Both Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever have repeatedly stated that their policy is limited to territory that is under Israeli military occupation, and that this decision would not extend to sales of their products within the state of Israel. By narrowly targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank while continuing to sell products in the state of Israel, Ben & Jerry’s has taken a moral stance to boycott settlements – one of the greatest threats to Israel's future and a Two-State solution – while continuing to support the legitimacy and existence of the state of Israel.

The United States does not recognize the Israeli settlements as part of the state of Israel – settlements and Israel’s occupation have been broadly recognized as violations of international law by much of the international community. For a future Two-State solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, and, indeed, for the future of Israel as a democracy and a Jewish state, it is vital that the distinction between sovereign Israel and the settlements be maintained.

By wrongly applying the same standard of treatment to both the settlements in the occupied territories and the state of Israel, Public Act 099-0128 undermines the distinction between the two –contributing to the erasure of the Green Line and threatening the future of a negotiated Two-State Solution.

The law is a clear attempt to conflate Israeli settlements with Israel and is a divergence from longstanding bipartisan US foreign policy. As Jewish Americans who care deeply about the security and longevity of the State of Israel, we urge the board to vote against adding Unilever PLC to the Prohibited Investment List.

Signed,*

Jim Klutznick; Americans for Peace Now, Board Member and Chair

Marilyn Katz; Americans for Peace Now, Board Member

Aviva Futorian; Americans for Peace Now, Board Member

William S. Singer

Judith Kossy

Rochelle Diogenes

Susan Gzesh

David Ginsberg

Barbara Engel

Deborah Rosenberg

Mark Zivin

Richard Goldwasser

Judy Wise

Judd Miner

Linda Miner

Brad Gordon

Bettylu Saltzman

Fredric P. Andes

Bird Hoffman

Sarah Stafford

 

*Professional titles and organizational affiliations are given for identification purposes only and do not indicate organizational endorsement of this open letter