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Residents urge Palm Beach County to halt or curb Israel-bond purchases, cite legal and moral concerns
Summary
Dozens of residents told the Palm Beach County Commission at a public forum that the county's roughly $1 billion in Israel bond holdings violates state investment rules, concentrates risk and raises ethical questions; the county comptroller defended the strategy as lawful and yielding higher returns for local needs.
Dozens of Palm Beach County residents urged commissioners at a public forum to stop or sharply limit the county's purchases of Israel bonds, arguing the holdings both violate state and county investment rules and are morally indefensible.
Speakers said the county now holds about $1 billion in Israel bonds and pointed to a pattern of policy changes that they said increased allowable exposure from 5 percent to 10 percent, then to 15 percent and now 18 percent of the county portfolio. "Do not let our community be bankrolled by bloodshed," one resident said during the public-comment period, asking the board to "align our investments with our conscience." Many callers also urged commissioners to pass an ordinance banning county investments in entities they described as "engaging in genocide or…
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