Advocates decry US House vote to defund universities that boycott Israel

Rights groups say the measure infringes on the freedom of speech of Americans for the benefit of a foreign nation.

A pro-Palestine protest at George Washington University in Washington, DC in 2024 [File: Cliff Owen/AP Photo]

The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill to penalise American universities for boycotting Israel or its academic institutions, including those located in the occupied West Bank , a move that critics say violates freedom of expression.

Lawmakers approved the measure in a 237-169 vote on Thursday, with 33 Democrats joining the Republican majority. Two Republicans broke ranks with their party to reject the bill.

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The proposal will still needs to be adopted by the Republican-controlled Senate and signed by President Donald Trump to become law.

If passed, it would bar universities that boycott “an entity licensed or regulated by, or organised under the laws of” Israel, such as those in illegal West Bank settlements, from receiving federal funds.

Withholding such funding would make it nearly impossible for many universities to operate or provide financial aid to students.

Jenin Younes, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), said the bill raises serious concerns for the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech rights.

“The Supreme Court has made clear that the government cannot condition its funding on suppression of First Amendment-protected activity,” Younes told Al Jazeera. “Courts also recognise that boycotts constitute such activity.”

The legislation would require academic institutions in the US to annually certify that they allow cooperation with Israeli universities. The stipulation raises concerns that the bill not only bans boycotts of schools in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank but could compel US universities to forge relationships with them to fulfil the certification requirement.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, “have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law”.

The bill comes at a time when public support for Israel in the US has nosedived . A Pew Research Center survey in July suggested that 62 percent of Americans have an unfavourable view of the Israeli government.

Still, support for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which carried out the genocidal war on Gaza, remains strong on Capitol Hill.

“The timing of the bill reflects the Israel lobby’s growing desperation in the face of rising opposition to US support for Israel,” Younes said.

“As Americans’ sentiment turns against our unholy alliance, Israel and its servants in Congress are working overtime to come up with ways to silence dissent and keep Americans’ tax dollars flowing to the genocidal, apartheid state.”

She added that including Israeli colleges in the occupied West Bank in the anti-boycott bill is further evidence there is no real intent by the US “to hold Israel accountable for its unlawful occupation or to pave the way for a Palestinian state”.

For years, US states and Congress have been passing bills to restrict the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to pressure Israel economically to end abuses against Palestinians.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been among rights groups who have regularly warned that anti-BDS laws violate constitutional free speech guarantees.

Robert McCaw, CAIR’s government affairs director, called the legislative proposal “a blatant attempt to hold American students’ financial futures hostage in order to shield the Israeli government and entities operating under Israeli law from peaceful economic pressure”.

“Students and faculty have the right to speak, organise and urge their institutions to align investment and purchasing decisions with their values,” McCaw said in a statement.

“Congress should not threaten Pell Grants and student loans simply because lawmakers dislike the outcome of that advocacy,” he said, referring to a federally funded financial aid programme.

Supporters of the bill have argued that the measure aims to regulate commercial conduct, not speech.

“Our universities should not use taxpayer-funded federal programs to discriminate against Israeli students, faculty, institutions, or businesses simply because they are Israeli,” Representative Tim Walberg, the Republican chair of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, said in a statement.

“I’m proud of my colleagues for standing up for that principle today and I hope to see the Senate do the same,” he said.

Some rights advocates have called for academic boycotts of Israel, saying Israeli universities play a role in enabling abuses against Palestinians by developing weapon systems and military strategies.

“For decades, Israeli universities have played a key role in planning, implementing and justifying Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies, and now genocide, while maintaining a uniquely close relationship with the Israeli military,” the BDS movement website says.

The two Republicans who voted against the bill on Tuesday were Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson, who have both been critical of Washington’s policy towards the Middle East.

The 33 Democrats who approved the measure included staunchly pro-Israel legislators Ritchie Torres and Haley Stevens, who recently lost her bid for the US Senate Democratic Party nomination in Michigan to Abdul El-Sayed , a supporter of Palestinian rights.

人权组织称，该措施侵犯了美国人的言论自由，却有利于外国。

2024年，在华盛顿特区的乔治·华盛顿大学举行的支持巴勒斯坦的抗议活动 [图片：Cliff Owen/AP Photo]

美国众议院通过了一项法案，对抵制以色列或其学术机构（包括位于被占领的西岸地区的学术机构）的美国大学进行处罚。批评人士称，此举侵犯了言论自由。

周四，议员们以237票赞成、169票反对的投票结果通过了这项法案，其中33名民主党议员加入了共和党的多数阵营。两名共和党议员倒戈，投了反对票。

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该提案仍需得到共和党控制的参议院通过，并由唐纳德·特朗普总统签署才能成为法律。

如果该法案获得通过，将禁止抵制“由以色列许可或监管，或根据以色列法律组织的实体”（例如位于西岸非法定居点的实体）的大学接受联邦资金。

扣留此类资金将使许多大学几乎无法正常运营或向学生提供经济援助。

美国阿拉伯裔反歧视委员会 (ADC) 主席杰宁·尤尼斯表示，该法案对保护言论自由权利的美国宪法第一修正案提出了严重关切。

尤尼斯告诉半岛电视台：“最高法院已经明确表示，政府不能将拨款与压制受宪法第一修正案保护的活动挂钩。法院也承认，抵制活动也属于此类活动。”

该法案将要求美国学术机构每年证明其允许与以色列大学合作。这一规定引发了人们的担忧，即该法案不仅禁止抵制位于被占领的西岸非法定居点的学校，还可能迫使美国大学为了满足认证要求而与这些定居点建立合作关系。

国际法院于 2024 年裁定，以色列在西岸（包括东耶路撒冷）的定居点“违反国际法而建立和维持”。

这项法案出台之际，正值美国公众对以色列的支持率暴跌。皮尤研究中心7月份的一项调查显示，62%的美国人对以色列政府持负面看法。

尽管如此，在国会山，对发动加沙种族灭绝战争的总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡政府的支持依然强劲。

尤尼斯说：“这项法案的出台时机反映出，面对美国对以色列支持日益增长的反对声浪，以色列游说集团越来越感到绝望。”

“随着美国民众对我们这种不光彩的联盟的情绪日益高涨，以色列及其在国会的走狗们正加班加点地想方设法压制异议，并继续让美国纳税人的钱流向这个种族灭绝的种族隔离国家。”

她补充说，将位于被占领的西岸的以色列高校纳入反抵制法案，进一步证明美国并没有“追究以色列非法占领的责任，或为巴勒斯坦建国铺平道路”的真正意图。

多年来，美国各州和国会一直在通过法案来限制抵制、撤资和制裁（BDS）运动，该运动旨在通过经济手段向以色列施压，以结束对巴勒斯坦人的侵犯行为。

美国伊斯兰关系委员会 (CAIR) 等人权组织经常警告说，反抵制、撤资和制裁 (BDS) 法律违反了宪法保障的言论自由。

美国伊斯兰关系委员会 (CAIR) 政府事务主管罗伯特·麦考称该立法提案“公然企图挟持美国学生的经济未来，以保护以色列政府和根据以色列法律运作的实体免受和平的经济压力”。

麦考在一份声明中表示：“学生和教职员工有权发言、组织活动，并敦促他们的学校将投资和采购决策与他们的价值观保持一致。”

“国会不应该仅仅因为立法者不喜欢某种倡导的结果就威胁取消佩尔助学金和学生贷款，”他说道，这里指的是一项联邦政府资助的财政援助计划。

该法案的支持者认为，该措施旨在规范商业行为，而不是言论。

“我们的大学不应该利用纳税人资助的联邦项目来歧视以色列学生、教职员工、机构或企业，仅仅因为他们是以色列人，”众议院教育和劳动力委员会共和党主席蒂姆·沃尔伯格在一份声明中表示。

他说：“我为我的同事们今天挺身捍卫这一原则而感到自豪，我希望看到参议院也能这样做。”

一些人权倡导者呼吁对以色列进行学术抵制，称以色列大学通过研发武器系统和军事战略，助长了对巴勒斯坦人的侵犯人权行为。

“几十年来，以色列大学在规划、实施和为以色列的占领和种族隔离政策，以及现在的种族灭绝政策辩护方面发挥了关键作用，同时与以色列军方保持着一种独特的密切关系，” BDS 运动网站称。

周二投票反对该法案的两名共和党人是托马斯·马西和沃伦·戴维森，他们都曾批评华盛顿的中东政策。

33 名民主党人投票赞成这项法案，其中包括坚定的亲以色列议员里奇·托雷斯和海莉·史蒂文斯。海莉·史蒂文斯最近在密歇根州竞选美国参议院民主党提名时败给了巴勒斯坦权利的支持者阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德。