Israel Bonds raise foreign funds for the Israeli treasury to use as they see fit in their campaigns of genocide, apartheid, and other human rights abuses. The State of Louisiana has invested $30 million in war bonds, which have next to no secondary market and are low-yield, i.e., they are lucrative investments often purchased as a display of patriotism or political support. In fact, $5 million of Louisiana’s investment was purchased in October 2023 in a direct show of support for Israel.
Because Israel Bonds provide money directly to the Israeli treasury for use at its discretion, these Louisiana investments (whose yields benefit children and teachers in our state) are used in Israel to bomb schools full of starving people who are being displaced over and over again. These bonds are used to build or reinforce the infrastructure of Israel’s occupation, such as walls, checkpoints, and settlements. They are used to build and staff the prisons in which 500-700 Palestinian children are detained annually, according to Defense for Children International – Palestine, most commonly for the charge of throwing stones. This number does not include the Palestinian children that are held in temporary Israeli detention facilities.
Louisiana holds this $40 million investment in the Education Quality Trust Fund and Millennium Trust Fund, two funds which support educational enrichment programs and “excellence in educational practice”–funds that are certainly desperately needed by our schools as the quality of Louisiana education is ranked 40th in the nation. Israel Bonds are politically motivated, losing investments for our state. Other Israel bond-holders, including cities and pension funds around the world, are currently questioning and deciding against their own investments in Israeli assets. Louisiana’s educational trust funds should follow their own policies and be invested in ways that improve the lives of children, rather than deprive humans of the right to live and learn, in Louisiana and abroad.
On February 1st, 2025, $5 million in Louisiana’s Israel Bond investments will mature and be eligible for reinvestment. This means we have the opportunity to demand that money is meant to benefit our children, teachers, and schools, and should be invested in ways that are ethical, financially sound, and never again be re-invested in genocide, apartheid, and occupation.
– August Smith
REDUX MAGAZINE 