Arkansas Stiffs $500 Payment To Jewish Doctor Over Refusal To Pledge Not To Boycott Israel

The reason? Because he refused to check the box promising not to boycott the state of Israel, reported the Arkansas Times.

By Matthew Chapman, Raw Story

Dr. Steve Feldman, a dermatologist from North Carolina, gave a lecture to medical students at the University of Arkansas on improving physician-patient relationships. Then when he tried to register under the Arkansas vendor system to receive his $500 payment, he was rejected.

The reason? Because he refused to check the box promising not to boycott the state of Israel, reported the Arkansas Times.

“Arkansas lawmakers passed a law in 2017 requiring individuals or companies to pledge not to boycott Israel or its settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if they want to do business with the state,” reported Austin Bailey. “These pro-Israel laws served as the model for a recent spate of legislation passed in multiple states to penalize woke investors in service of protecting the fossil fuel and firearms industries. Arkansas passed two laws in 2023 that prioritize the economic well-being of these deadly but lucrative industries over the economic well-being of pretty much everyone else. One prohibits all state entities from working with financial firms that discriminate ‘without a reasonable business purpose’ against energy, fossil fuel, firearms or ammunition businesses or make investments based on E.S.G. factors. The other, even more extreme one, forces state contractors to pledge not to boycott energy, fossil fuel, firearms or ammunition businesses.”