A Seattle judge has thrown out a ballot proposal on divesting from companies that do business with Israel.

King County Superior Court Judge Steven Gonzalez ruled that Initiative 97, which would have compelled Seattle's retirement board to divest from some companies that do business with Israel, exceeds the scope of power for ballot initiatives.

"The funds in question are pension funds, not city funds. They belong to workers who will need them to retire," Gonzalez said. "Given that, [I-97] is beyond the scope of the initiative process."

The initiative, which supporters had been telling residents was a measure to divest from Iraq, had prompted opposition from several Jewish organizations, the mayor and most of Seattle's city council members...