S 4389 seeks the abolition of and withholding of funds from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, an accountability mechanism established in 2021 to investigate international law violations around the Unity Uprising. Related bill: HB 7223.
This anti-boycott bill prohibits any public body from contracting with entities that boycott Israel or illegal Israeli settlements. Contractors are required to certify in writing that they will not boycott Israel for the duration of the contract. These written certifications are to be made publicly available. The bill applies to contracts in excess of $100,000 with any contractor having more than 10 employees. Contractors that boycott in violation of these requirements will be subject to civil penalties an amount equal to three times the contract. Additionally, this bill bars institutions of higher education from boycotting Israel and requires the board of each public institution of higher education to certify in writing that they will not boycott Israel or illegal Israeli settlements. Related bill: HB 1898.
SB 1252 is an antisemitism redefinition bill that adopts the distorted IHRA definition of antisemitism, including its contemporary examples that target advocacy for Palestinian rights, into state law addressing discrimination as well as other areas of law. Related bill: HB 1606.
S Con Res 14, SA 3357 is an anti-boycott amendment to the congressional budget bill that allows Congress to withhold federal funding from manufacturers that engage in boycotts for justice against US allies, including Israel.
S Con Res 14, SA 3358 is an anti-boycott amendment to the congressional budget bill that prohibits use of nutrition assistance funds, like SNAP, to buy products from companies that boycott US allies, including Israel.
HR 3515 attempts to link antisemitic hate crimes with protests against Israel’s violence against Palestinians. The bill, which has only Republican sponsors, calls for the Attorney General to issue guidance for law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of antisemitic hate crimes pursuant to the act. In the press release for a nearly identical Senate bill S 1939, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell smeared BDS as antisemitic and implied that boycotts for justice are on par with violent antisemitic hate crimes that the bill seeks to address. Related bill: S 1939.
S 1939 attempts to link antisemitic hate crimes with protests against Israel’s violence against Palestinians. The bill, which has only Republican sponsors, references IHRA’s distorted definition of antisemitism, and calls for the Attorney General to issue guidance for law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of antisemitic hate crimes pursuant to the act. In a press release, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell smeared BDS as antisemitic and implied that boycotts for justice are on par with the violent antisemitic hate crimes that the bill seeks to address. Related bill: HR 3515.
S 2829 is an anti-boycott bill that enables corporate shareholders to sue companies for taking actions on a basis “facially unrelated to the pecuniary interest” of the company, which includes business decisions that aim to address racial, gender, or other forms of injustice. At the same time, the bill prohibits shareholders from suing companies that seek to punish other companies for boycotting Israel. The bill also calls for stock exchanges to delist companies that fail to follow the bill’s requirements. The bill explicitly targets “‘woke’ social policy actions” on the part of corporations at the same time that it encourages companies to punish boycotts for justice.
Amendment 380 to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 withholds research and development funding from universities that sponsor or endorse campus events involving “convicted terrorists.” Palestinian rights advocacy is clearly the target of this amendment, which was introduced by Rep. Gottheimer following the censorship by Zoom of campus events featuring Palestinian activist Leila Khaled. This amendment was later withdrawn.
This bill, titled the Combating International Islamophobia Act, was introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar and calls on the State Department to establish an Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia. The debate surrounding the bill, as well as the 15 amendments that were introduced, were rife with Islamophobia. Opponents of the bill attempted to shift the debate to antisemitism and criticism of Israel. The version passed by the House included an amendment stating, “No funds made available pursuant to this Act or an amendment made by this Act may be used to promote or endorse a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement ideology.”
