CLEVELAND, Ohio — Dozens of Palestinian supporters filled the Cuyahoga County Council chambers Tuesday, calling on council members to stop investing in Israeli bonds.
Cuyahoga County first invested in the bond in 2006, according to a county news release.
On Tuesday, a county spokesperson said these investments total $16 million.
But for Palestinian Americans like Shereen Nasser, those are investments that should be stopped.
Nasser said his cousin was captured by Israeli forces over the weekend.
Nasser, who lives in Cleveland, said that while he worries about the college girl's safety, he has another thought that he can't get out of his head.
“I'm wondering if my tax dollars are paying for the cuffs around her wrists,” Nasser said.
She's part of a group that wants to start a conversation about not just how the City Council spends money, but where it goes.
Dallas Eckman said: “It's not just a question of interest rates and the returns we get from Israeli bonds, but where the money is actually going to go and are we comfortable with our money being used for these purposes? ” he said.
A 2019 Cuyahoga County news release about the $3 million investment in Israel bonds said the funds “enabled the development of all sectors of the Israeli economy.”
On Tuesday, a spokesperson added that Cuyahoga County is one of 15 Ohio counties investing in Israeli bonds.
But many Palestinian Americans living in the county believe that this needs to change.
Chairmen told councilors they believed the millions of dollars invested in bonds would be better spent domestically.
“These include desert food, rehabilitation services, and other needs that help communities thrive,” Noel Nasser said.
Councilman Dale Miller, who chairs the City Council Finance Committee, said he was not prepared to comment on the request after Tuesday's meeting.
But Shereen Nasser said they aren't going to disappear.
“Every time I press the button to pay my taxes in April, there's a huge cacophony in my brain,” Nasser said. “On the one hand, I know this is part of my civic duty, but on the other hand…I'm willing to send even a dollar to hurt people when I could use it to help people here in my hometown. There are too many.”
Cuyahoga County isn't alone.
The state owns more than $260 million in Israeli bonds, including $15 million invested last month, according to the Ohio Department of Treasury.
