Congress Cracks Down On Free Speech As Campus Protests Continue | Palestine Policy Roundup 5.3.24

Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.

👀  ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib: “Netanyahu vowed to invade Rafah ‘with or without’ a temporary ceasefire deal, where over 1.5 million Palestinians are displaced. The Biden admin called this deal ‘extraordinarily generous.’ A 40 day ceasefire is just a pause in this genocide. We need a permanent ceasefire now.” 

Rep. Delia Ramirez: “After months of praying, hoping, and searching, hundreds of Palestinian families found their loved ones in mass graves. 392 Palestinians denied a proper burial. Our nation should be ashamed of our complicity in this horror.” 

Rep. Katie Porter on Israel’s Leahy Law violations: “Before these findings were sent to @SecBlinken, where they have been collecting dust for months, Israel was given the opportunity to hold the specific units accountable. They did not. The law is the law, and it clearly requires aid be suspended immediately.” 

Rep. Jamaal Bowman: “When I was 11, I was a victim of police brutality just for being Black in America. Now I see that brutality being inflicted on peaceful students at Columbia and across the country. We must stand with our students to demand liberation for Palestinians and everyone in this world.” 

Rep. Ayanna Pressley: “The nationwide police crackdown on peaceful student protestors is an unacceptable violation of freedom of speech. Students are calling on us to save lives in Gaza. With 35K Palestinians killed, hostages still held by Hamas & millions facing starvation, we need a #CeasefireNOW.” 

Rep. Sara Jacobs:  “I do not believe that anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitism. …Today, I voted against H.R. 6090, because it fails to effectively address the very real rise of antisemitism, all while defunding colleges and universities across the country and punishing many, if not all, of the non-violent protestors speaking out against the Israeli military’s conduct.”

DC DEVELOPMENTS

HOUSE PASSES BILL TO SUPPRESS CAMPUS SPEECH FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS 

The House passed H.R.6090 last week as students on more than 100 campuses across the country peacefully protest for an end to US complicity in Israel’s attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This bill seeks to shut down campus speech and advocacy for Palestinian rights under the pretext of protecting students against antisemitism. To be clear: antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, bigotry, and violence directed against people based on their identity, is abhorrent. H.R.6090 would chill free speech in support of Palestinian rights by codifying into law that the Department of Education “shall take into consideration” the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) inaccurate definition of antisemitism when determining if a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act has occurred.  

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Jewish Voice for Peace stated: “The controversial IHRA definition does not serve the fight against antisemitism or other forms of racism. It does not differentiate between systemic and individual antisemitism, nor does it help identify the different forms of beliefs, tropes, speech, acts, microaggressions, discrimination, property damage, and violence that racism and antisemitism may take. It also fails to identify white supremacy as a root cause of antisemitism. Instead, the IHRA definition’s primary focus is branding criticism of the Israeli government and state as antisemitic, making it a tool to silence Palestinians and shield the Israeli government from accountability.” 

📖 LEARN MORE: Read the IMEU Policy Project’s policy memo on this bill. 

STATE DEPARTMENT FINDS ISRAELI UNITS COMMITTED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BUT FAILS TO IMPOSE CONSEQUENCES 

The State Department has determined that five Israeli units committed gross human rights violations in the West Bank prior to the outbreak of the genocide in Gaza, but that four of the units have “effectively remediated these violations” and are therefore still eligible for US military equipment and training. The State Department did not detail what those remediation actions were. No consequences have been imposed on the fifth unremediated unit, reported to be the Netzah Yehuda battalion. Secretary of State Antony Blinken must act on the determination that Netzah Yehudah committed gross violations of human rights and stop US weapons and training to this unit. 

Recent investigative reporting from ProPublica revealed that the secretary has failed to act on recommendations to sanction Israeli units made by the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum in December. The report also notes that Israel received special treatment with regard to the application of Leahy Laws, which apply to countries that receive American-funded training or arms. 

CONGRESS THREATENS ACTION AGAINST INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT OVER REPORTS OF WARRANTS FOR ISRAELI OFFICIALS 

Several members of Congress have reacted to reports that the Israeli government is concerned that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials. This stems from an ICC investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by both the Israeli military and Palestinian militants during the 2014 assault on Gaza. Some members of Congress are calling on the Biden administration to shield the Israeli government from accountability for war crimes, with House Speaker Mike Johnson demanding that Biden “immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any other member of the Israeli government who may be indicted for war crimes must be held accountable, and the Biden administration and Congress must not intervene to prevent that process. 

SOME US OFFICIALS SAY IN INTERNAL MEMO THAT ISRAEL IS VIOLATING INTERNATIONAL LAW IN GAZA 

Some senior officials have informed Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they have not found Israel’s assurances under National Security Memorandum 20 to be credible or reliable, citing at least eight examples of Israeli military actions that raise questions about violations of international humanitarian law and eleven actions that restrict humanitarian aid.  

A research briefing submitted to the US government by Amnesty International has also found serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, and demands the suspension of weapons transfers to Israel. The report details how Israel has used US weapons in violation of international law, including the killing of entire families, destroying homes and entire neighborhoods, and dropping white phosphorus on densely populated civilian areas.  

As the Biden administration faces a May 8 deadline to provide a report to Congress on whether it deems Israel’s assurances as credible, IMEU Policy Project urges the administration and Congress to take the concerns of these officials and Amnesty International seriously and end the flow of US weapons to Israel. 

MORE THAN 50 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO PREVENT ASSAULT ON RAFAH 

More than 50 members of Congress, led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Madeleine Dean, called on the Biden administration to enforce US law and policy and immediately withhold offensive weapons to Israel to prevent an invasion of Rafah, saying ”an offensive invasion into Rafah by Israel in the upcoming days is wholly unacceptable.”  

This letter comes just a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to invade Rafah “with or without a deal” to free hostages in Gaza. With more than one million people currently displaced and living in Rafah, an invasion could kill thousands of more people in addition to the already 35,000 killed so far during the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. It is imperative that the US prevent even further death and destruction by halting weapons to Israel immediately.  

📺 WATCH: The New York Times published a video capturing the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on Rafah last Monday. Umm Fayez Abu Taha, a survivor of the strike, rescued an infant from the rubble and asked “Was she holding a rocket or standing near tanks? What’s her fault?”

IN THE NEWS

IN THE NEWS GAZA SOLIDARITY PROTESTS FACE BRUTAL POLICE REPRESSION AT COLUMBIA, AROUND THE COUNTRY 

New York City police used brute force on Tuesday to arrest dozens of demonstrators at Columbia University, deploying flash bangs and riot gear as reported by The Guardian. Columbia officials requested the intervention of the NYPD after demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall, an academic building on Columbia’s campus, on Tuesday. Several videos taken of the event appear to show police officers using excessive force on demonstrators, including pushing a demonstrator down a flight of stairs and entering rooms in Hamilton Hall with guns drawn. 

Elsewhere around the country, videos appear to show police deploying tear gas against a group of demonstrators at the University of South Florida, and another video appears to show several police officers beating Professor Steve Tamari while he was attempting to film police actions at a demonstration at Washington University in St. Louis. Police moved to dismantle a Gaza solidarity encampment at UCLA four hours after a pro-Israel mob began attacking demonstrators. Watch video of the attacks from Al Jazeera. Police deployed rubber bullets against protestors, in stark contrast to their response to the earlier attack against them. 

INVESTIGATION FINDS ISRAELI MILITARY STRUCK EXPLICITLY DESIGNATED SAFE ZONES 

An NBC News investigation into seven airstrikes found that Israeli forces killed Palestinians fleeing to explicitly designated safe zones between January and April, casting doubt on assurances from Israeli officials that its military is attempting to mitigate civilian harm during its assault on Gaza. 

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Sari Bashi, Human Rights Watch’s program director, said in an interview with NBC News that “People are fleeing to roads that the government told them to use to places where the Israeli government told them to go…And when they go there, they get killed.” Bashi continued: “People evacuate, people use the roads they were told to use, they go to the place they were told to go and then they get hit by an airstrike or by a ground force invasion.”  

📊 POLL SHOWS DISAPPROVAL OF BIDEN’S SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI ASSAULT ON GAZA AMONG KEY DEMOCRATIC BASES 

A new poll published by CNN and SSRS shows that 81% of young people disapprove of President Biden’s support for Israel’s attacks on Palestinians, as do 73% of people of color and a majority of Democrats. These voters want their government to help them afford healthcare, education, and housing. They do not want their tax dollars funding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. By his complicity in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, President Biden is risking support among these key Democratic voter bases and imperiling his own re-election campaign.

PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS

PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS REPORTS HIGHLIGHT SCALE OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION IN GAZA 

The Palestinian Civil Defense estimated that 10,000 people are buried under the rubble of homes and buildings destroyed by Israel in Gaza, and that it would take two to three years to recover all bodies unless digging equipment destroyed by Israel is replaced. These figures speak to the scale of devastation and destruction in Gaza, and highlight how the death toll of 35,000 people killed during the ongoing genocide is likely a significant undercount of casualties as the capacity of Gaza’s health and rescue infrastructure has been destroyed. 

Additionally, a report by the United Nations Development Programme detailed how the reconstruction of Gaza will cost between $30 and $40 billion, a scale of damage unseen since World War II. The agency also noted that the Palestinian economy has shrunk by more than 25%, and that the poverty rate in Gaza has climbed to more than 58%. UN Assistant Secretary-General Abdullah Al Dardari stated that Gaza’s reconstruction could take decades if it were to be carried out under normal processes. 

RAFAH HEAT WAVE PROVIDES GLIMPSE INTO POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING SUMMER 

Temperatures in Rafah reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit last week, providing the world a glimpse of what is to come if a ceasefire is not reached and Israel’s impeding of aid is not immediately ended. As more than one million people continue to be displaced and take shelter in tents without air conditioners and regular access to clean running water, the high summer temperatures in Rafah will turn deadly and compound problems like the spread of infectious diseases. Mohammed Ayash, a refugee in Rafah, spoke to NPR about the temperatures and described them as like “hell fire” and “red-hot death.” He continued: “The kids are falling apart. They can’t stay inside the tents.” Without an immediate release of aid into Rafah, displaced persons living in tents there will not be prepared for a brutal summer.

Photo credit: Chad Davis/Flickr. Creative Commons license.