UPDATE: This story was updated Friday to note the Miami-Dade Commission did not address the issue raised by Jewish Voice for Peace South FL.
A South Florida activist group said Thursday they want Miami-Dade County to stop buying Israeli bonds to protest the country鈥檚 continuing military offensive operations in Gaza.
Activists with Jewish Voice for Peace South FL also released a poll they commissioned that shows most residents 鈥� about 63% 鈥� are unaware of the county鈥檚 investment with Israeli bonds.
They say the county has about roughly $151 million in total bond investments in the Israeli government, $25 million of which mature on Nov. 1.
The commission did not address the issue during their Thursday night budget hearing, which they argue largely rests with the independent Clerk of Courts and Comptroller.
The activists say the money should instead be rerouted into the community at a time when the county is facing a steep budget shortfall. They also say have given Israeli bonds lower ratings and a negative outlook.
鈥淢iami has become a playground for the rich and a graveyard for the poor,鈥� said Armen Henderson, 鈥淎nd investments in Israel's economy of genocide at this critical time sends a clear message, the lives of the people that you represent do not matter.鈥�
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The activists demanded a county commitment to redirect the county鈥檚 investments when they mature, end all investments in any foreign government, and create a 鈥減ublic input process for county investments.鈥�
The appeal comes the same day commissioners are scheduled to discuss a $13 billion county budget proposal. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. Thursday. Earlier this month, several people at a county budget hearing that they should stop renewing investments with Israel.
The war in Gaza began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. Forty-eight hostages, fewer than half believed to be alive, remain in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll this week surpassed 65,000, local health officials told The Associated Press.
This week, a team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations鈥� Human Rights Council concluded in a report that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It called on the international community to end the genocide and act to punish those responsible for it.
Israel has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic 鈥渂lood libel,鈥� and its Foreign Ministry issued an angry response that it 鈥渃ategorically rejects this distorted and false [UN] report.鈥�
Nearly two years ago, following the Hamas militants attack, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the county had boosted its investment in Israeli bonds by $25 million, bringing the then total investment to $76 million.
鈥淚 am proud to make this additional investment in Israel bonds, as we send a clear message that Miami-Dade stands together with Israel and all nations that champion democracy,鈥� the mayor said in a statement at the time.
The county commission also approved a resolution at the time in support of Israel and condemning the war launched by Hamas. The U.S. State Department has declared Hamas a terrorist organization.
The national group, , has for years been calling on local governments, state governments, unions, pension funds, universities, and other institutions to divest from Israel bonds.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
