Advocates decry US House vote to defund universities that boycott Israel

Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-left caret-rightNews|EducationAdvocates decry US House vote to defund universities that boycott IsraelRights groups say the measure infringes on the freedom of speech of Americans for the benefit of a foreign nation.

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Advogados criticam votação da Câmara dos EUA para desfinanciar universidades que boicotam Israel | Notícias de Educação | Al Jazeera Pular links Pular para o conteúdo Assistir ao vivo Inscreva-se Mostrar menu de navegação Menu de navegação.

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.

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

Se aprovado, impediria universidades que boicotassem “uma entidade licenciada ou regulada por, ou organizada sob as leis de” Israel, como aquelas em assentamentos ilegais da Cisjordânia, de receberem fundos federais.

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 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.

O Tribunal Internacional de Justiça decidiu em 2024 que os assentamentos israelenses na Cisjordânia, incluindo Jerusalém Oriental, “têm sido estabelecidos e estão sendo mantidos em violação ao direito internacional”.

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.

Ainda assim, o apoio ao governo do Primeiro‑Ministro Benjamin Netanyahu, que conduziu a guerra genocida em Gaza, permanece forte no Capitol Hill.

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”.

Apoiadores do projeto de lei afirmam que a medida tem como objetivo regular a conduta comercial, e não a fala.

Alguns defensores dos direitos humanos pediram boicotes acadêmicos a Israel, alegando que universidades israelenses desempenham papel na facilitação de abusos contra palestinos ao desenvolver sistemas de armas e estratégias militares.

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.