Key facts
- Palestinian-American activist Noura Erakat was arrested on Tuesday at a Palm Beach County budget hearing.
- The hearing concerned the county's investments in Israeli bonds.
- Erakat was charged with a misdemeanor trespass offense.
- Erakat stated she was 'rough handled' and held in a police car for two hours before being transferred to jail.
- Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter imposed speaking time limits and restrictions on topics at the hearing.
- A group of residents previously sued Palm Beach County over its investments in Israeli bonds, a case that was dismissed but is being appealed.
Noura Erakat, a Palestinian-American activist and legal scholar, was arrested and charged with trespassing on Tuesday during a Palm Beach County, Florida, budget hearing. The hearing was addressing the county's investments totaling over $1 billion in Israeli bonds. Erakat was among several individuals forcibly removed by law enforcement when they attempted to voice opposition to these investments.
According to Erakat, the county's mayor, Sara Baxter, limited speakers to one minute and prohibited discussion of the Israeli bonds, deeming them a policy rather than a budget matter. When attendees proceeded to speak on the issue, they were removed. Erakat stated that officers 'handpicked' individuals to remove during a recess and that she felt she was being racially profiled.
Investments in Israeli bonds have become a contentious issue, with public opinion in the US shifting. A lawsuit filed last year by residents against Palm Beach County over these investments, alleging violations of local laws, was dismissed but is currently under appeal. The Internationalist Law Center, representing the plaintiffs, argues that the funds could be better used for local needs and that the investments in Israeli bonds do not outpace inflation and support a foreign government.
Nationwide, advocacy groups are campaigning for divestment from Israel at local, state, and university levels. Dawn, a US-based human rights group, has argued that investing public funds in Israeli bonds may violate international law and fiduciary duties, exposing officials to legal, ethical, and financial risks. Erakat reported being 'rough handled' and held in a police car for two hours before being transferred to jail and released on bail. She described the charges as 'absurd' and the county's actions as an attempt to suppress public debate on the issue.