The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would expand the federal definition of anti-Semitism, despite opposition from civil liberties groups.
The bill passed the House on Wednesday by a margin of 320 to 91, and it is largely seen as a reaction to the ongoing antiwar protests unfolding on US university campuses. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
If the bill were to become law, it would codify a definition of anti-Semitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism is “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities”.
According to the IHRA, that definition also encompasses the “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity”.
The group also includes certain examples in its definition to illustrate anti-Semitism. Saying, for instance, that “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” would be deemed anti-Semitic under its terms. The definition also bars any comparison between “contemporary Israeli policy” and “that of the Nazis”.
Rights groups, however, have raised concerns the definition nevertheless conflates criticism of the state of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism.
In a letter sent to lawmakers on Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged House members to vote against the legislation, saying federal law already prohibits anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment.
“Instead, it would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism.”
The Hamas Can’t you see both sides are using identical arguments? Israel has also repeatedly said that their intention is to destroy Hamas, not the Palestinian people, but their actions show that that is utter bullshit of course (they even used suitcases full of cash to keep Hamas in power).
Likewise Hamas claim to only be against the Zionists in order to gain public support but their charter literally says “from the Jordan river to the sea, Palestine will be free of Jews”, and there are numerous reports of them raping and murdering innocent Israelis.
Long story short, the current government of Israel and Hamas are both terrible, and supporting either of them is supporting a group whose goal is genocide. The US government is obviously extra complicit in genocide due to continuing to sell Israel weapons, but if you didn’t already know that US foreign policy is pure evil then you haven’t been paying attention