US House passes bill to crack down on university boycotts of Israel

Israeli attacks since then have killed more than ​73,000 Palestinians,. The conflict sparked protests and calls ​for boycotts at many US campuses. In response, Republican President.

Donald Trumptargeted 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 favour. US 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.

Read More:Israel's Ben-Gvir plans to relocate 1.86m Palestinians from Gaza over 7 years: report"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," US Representative Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey ​Democrat, said in a speech urging support.