U.S. House passes bill to crack down on university boycotts of Israel

Demonstrators during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas (UT) in Austin, Texas, US, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Law enforcement officers handcuffed and removed at least 31 people participating in a pro-Palestinian student protest on the University of Texas at Austin campus on Wednesday, reported the Texas Tribune. Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to block federal aid for universities that boycott Israel, the latest Republican-backed pro-Israel measure amid growing Democratic criticism of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza.

The Republican-majority chamber voted 237-169 in favor of the “Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act,” which would have to pass the Senate in order to become law.

The war in Gaza has devastated much of the Palestinian enclave since Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people during an attack on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli attacks since then have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The conflict sparked protests and calls for boycotts at many U.S. campuses. In response, U.S. Republican President Donald Trump targeted colleges and universities with ​probes and federal funding suspension threats. The administration and many Republicans in Congress allege that the protesters ​were antisemitic and supported extremism.

Protesters deny this, saying advocacy for Palestinian rights and objections to the devastation in Gaza should not be equated with antisemitism or support for extremism.

Thursday’s House vote was mostly along party lines, with just two Republicans voting nay and 33 Democrats voting in favor.

U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, said in a statement before the vote that he opposed the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement but would vote no because he supported Americans’ right to free expression.

“It is the only way to ensure speech I do agree with is equally protected,” Nadler said.

The BDS movement seeks to isolate Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

The bill’s sponsors said it was not intended to hinder academic speech or debate, but to prevent the targeting of Israel and Judaism.

“It simply says that if your university takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can’t discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country,” U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said in a speech urging support.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani