Conservative anger as US Congress 'bans criticism of Israel'

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Published 2 May 2024 at 16.15

Foreign. Several conservative profiles in the US are harshly criticizing the fact that the House of Representatives voted for a law that in practice makes certain forms of criticism of Israel a criminal offence.

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The House of Representatives in Congress voted on Wednesday for the law by the votes of 320-91. Only 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voted no.

The proposal is a response to the anti-Israel protests that have rocked American university campuses recently. The law mandates that the definition of anti-Semitism put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance be used when the Department of Education enforces federal anti-discrimination laws.

According to this broad definition, it is not just anti-Semitism to claim that Jews control the media and government and the like. It is also “anti-Semitic” to criticize Israel in various ways and use “double standards” when talking about the state in question.

Critics of the bill claim that the definition is too expansive and could lead to censorship problems.

In the USA, profiles on the right have recently also begun to criticize the almost unconditional American support for Israel. And several well-known conservative opinion leaders are now strongly critical of the bill.

Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, writes in X that the proposal “is clearly unconstitutional and a terrifying attack on the Constitution's First Amendment” (which, among other things, guarantees freedom of assembly and speech, FT's note).

“This bill would make it illegal to compare Israeli policies to Nazi policies. It would make it illegal to describe Israel as racist. It would make it illegal to accuse an American citizen of being more loyal to Israel than to the United States” , he notes.

“Criminalizes parts of the Bible”
Charlie Kirk also questions whether the bill “criminalizes parts of the Bible”, given how the New Testament clearly describes how the Jews are behind the death of Jesus – a notion that is also classified as “anti-Semitism” according to the current definition.

Another conservative profile, Matt Walsh, writes:

“The bill is disgraceful and should be seriously questioned by any Republican who supports it. The law actually labels criticism of the Israeli government as 'anti-Semitic.' Any notion that Americans should be legally punished in any way for criticizing any government — even one foreign government – ​​is sheer madness and utterly un-American.”

Matt Walsh's former colleague at conservative The Daily Wire, Candace Owens, recently came out as a critic of Israel. She notes that “the true story of Jesus' death is now classified as anti-Semitic”.

Former Fox News star Tucker Carlsson says the law makes the New Testament illegal.