PORTLAND, Maine — Portland now joins a small group of American cities in passing a plan to divest from companies doing business with Israel.
The Portland City Council passed a resolution Wednesday that would direct the city manager to not invest public funds in more than 80 companies—from defense contractor Lockheed Martin to Volvo—that supporters say are tied to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“People in Portland, Maine, and across the U.S. have spoken very loudly that the atrocities have to end,” Sarah Snyder, who helped draft the resolution that was introduced by councilor April Fournier, said Thursday.
Snyder said the goal of the resolution is to put the pressure on Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reports more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its retaliation against Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack, when militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage.
The resolution in Portland has drawn fierce criticism from some who see it as rooted in anti-Jewish sentiment.
“Do our voices not matter? Do our lives mean less than the lives of other people?” Leora Kirk, an Israeli American, said.
Kirk points to the broad scope of the divestment plan, which targets companies from a number of different sectors, as proof the motivation for the resolution goes beyond anti-war sentiment.
“You’re sending a very clear message that this isn’t about the war in Israel. This is truly about being Jewish,” she added.
Snyder, who is Jewish, disagrees.
“This resolution is so in line with Jewish value,” she said.
The resolution is not expected to have an effect on the city’s investments.
“There is no financial impact,” Brendan O’Connell, Portland’s finance director, explained. “We typically invest more locally.”