ISRAEL DIVESTMENT FIGHT IN SOMERVILLE MASS. BACK ON

Divestment back in Somerville
Backers of divestment from Israel renewed their efforts to put the issue on a city ballot in Somerville, Mass.

Somerville aldermen, who rebuffed a similar effort seven months ago, voted unanimously Thursday night to send to committee a petition submitted by the Somerville Divestment Project seeking to place a ballot question on divestment before the Boston suburb’s 40,000 voters. If the aldermen ultimately reject the petition or fail to act, its backers would have to submit signatures from 10 percent of registered voters to be eligible for the ballot.

Opponents of the measure, including the Somerville Anti-Divestment Coalition for Peace and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, are reluctant to reveal their strategies to keep the question off the ballot. “The aldermen understand that this issue is not germane to the city of Somerville. It’s part of a campaign to isolate Israel, and they’re going to look at the issue and decide accordingly how to act,” said Alan Ronkin, the JCRC’s deputy director.

“If it gets on the ballot, we’ll be ready for it,” said Adam Bovilsky, a member of the local coalition opposing divestment.