GenXGirl @GenXGirl1994 – 2 May 2024
The Series:
Part 1 examines how the Israel Network in America is funded.
Part 3 will explore the members of the Israel Network tasked with monitoring and reporting student activity, targeting participants, doxing, smear campaigns and litigation of schools to enforce censorship.
ANTISEMITISM AWARENESS ACT forces Dept of Ed to adopt IHRA definition making criticism & Biblical reference, hate speech. Under Title VI of Civil Rights Act, Ed will force schools to censor students or lose Federal $. 47 lawmakers who received $9.5M from Lobby Sponsored Bill
There is a coordinated effort by Pro-Israel sponsored and funded members of Congress to pass multiple laws to censor speech for the benefit of Israel, a foreign country. Make no mistake, this is not an effort to protect Jewish people in America since Civil Rights Laws already afford this group protection under the law, similar to everyone else. The efforts by Pro-Israel members of Congress and their Israel Lobby Donors are an attempt to make criticism of Israel a criminal offense by incorporating the IHRA definition of antisemitism into US laws. If successful, this will be the first time in US history where American’s lose their 1st Amendment rights at the behest and benefit of a foreign nation, Israel.
The effort is very clever because on the surface, each bill appears to simply incorporate antisemitism into law. However, the particular definition of antisemitism that is utilized is the IHRA’s “new definition” which includes criticism of Israel as antisemitism. Collectively, these laws create a web of legal standards to criminalize criticism of Israel as discrimination, hate speech, threat of violence and hate crime. The laws put the onus of enforcement on recipients of federal government funding, such as educational institutions, federal agencies, and state and local governments. The following provides a more detailed explanation with hyperlinks to the full documents:
- IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM: The IHRA “New Definition” of antisemitism which falsely equates criticism of Israel as Antisemitism is incorporated in 5 separate bills in Congress.
- DEFINE TO DEFEAT ACT: The Bill would incorporate the IHRA definition of antisemitism under Civil Rights Laws. If enacted, criticizing or protesting against Israel because of apartheid, genocide, ethnic cleansing, drawing comparisons of Israeli policy to Nazi policy or advocating for Palestinian freedom will be considered antisemitism and discrimination under these laws. The purpose is to force institutions that receive Federal Funding to censor speech with regard to criticism of Israel or risk losing their funding, deter private companies from supporting human rights for Palestinians, and define advocacy for Palestinians as hate speech.
- ANTISEMITISM AWARENESS ACT OF 2023: The Bill would incorporate the IHRA definition of Antisemitism. It would also require the Department of Education to use the IHRA definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws on college campuses. The purpose is to force educational institutions that receive Federal Funding to censor speech with regard to criticism of Israel or risk losing their funding.
- COLUMBIA ACT: The Bill would incorporate the IHRA definition of Antisemitism. It would also empower the Department of Education to impose a third-party monitor for antisemitic activity using IHRA definition of antisemitism on universities and colleges that receive federal funding. Those that don’t comply, risk losing their federal funding under Title VI of Civil Rights Law. The purpose is to force educational institutions that receive Federal Funding to censor speech with regard to criticism of Israel or risk losing their funding.
- COUNTERING ANTISEMITISM ACT: The Bill would incorporate the IHRA definition of Antisemitism. It would also establish a policing mechanism to ensure all Federal Government agencies and all recipients of Federal Government funding censor speech with regard to criticism of Israel or risk losing their funding, ensure reporting and recommendations of new laws to further censor speech to Congress.
- ENDING SUBSIDIES FOR PRO-TERRORIST ACTIVITIES ON CAMPUS ACT: The Bill would incorporate the IHRA definition of Antisemitism. It would also equate advocacy of Palestinian freedom to support of terrorist activity by correlating the goal of freedom and self determination for Palestinian people as “urging support for, endorsing, espousing, encouraging, organizing for, or promoting a Foreign Terrorist Organization’s terrorist activities”. Students and organizations would risk losing eligibility for federal student aid and universities would risk losing their Federal Funding if they do not punish students.
IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
To understand the gravity of incorporating this “new definition” of antisemitism, let’s look a little closer at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism which is outlined in two (2) parts. The main definition and the incorporated examples. The main definition is typical language you would expect and broadly accepted as accurate:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The highly contested portion of the definition is the “incorporated” list of examples and the caveat “but not limited to” indicating an open ended list to be determined by the IHRA through an obscure process. The examples of antisemitism amount to anything under the sun to include seven (7) related to criticism of Israel, a foreign country and government. If incorporated into law as has been done in the UK, Scotland and other countries, this definition would shield Israel from legitimate criticism based on documented facts and as noted at the bottom of the IHRA list, criminalize criticism of Israel through law:
“Antisemitic acts are criminal when they are so defined by law (for example, denial of the Holocaust or distribution of antisemitic materials in some countries).”
For the sake of brevity, I have included one example below but there are a myriad of situations where this definition can and will create an environment where stating facts become a crime.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
The justification used in each of the new Bills in Congress is: antisemitism is on the rise. The data Congress references is the ADL Antisemitism Report cited by name or by reference. The problem with using this report is that it is highly inflated with false equivalency of criticism of Israel, a sovereign foreign country, as antisemitism.
In 2016, the ADL began using the IHRA definition to determine incidents of antisemitism. Under the IHRA criteria, ADL deemed the following incidents as antisemitism to be included in their annual report:
- Accusing Israel of committing genocide or ethnic cleansing
- Labeling Israel a settler-colonial state or apartheid state
- Calling for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and Israel-based companies
- Supporting violence or military confrontation with Israel
Prior to using the IHRA definition, antisemitic incidents reported by ADL in 2013-2015 ranged from 750-940 per year. After 2016 when it expanded its criteria via IHRA to include criticism of Israel, the ADL data dramatically increased. In its most recent report from 10/7/2023 – 01/07/2024, 1317 incidents (40% of the total 3283) are protests against Israel’s apartheid and genocide of Palestinians. Additionally, the 1347 incidents of verbal or written harassment include statements such as “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free”. This inflation is a direct result of utilizing the IHRA definition and a clever way to manufacture consent.
- IHRA definition creates a false equivalency, criticism of Israel is antisemitism
- ADL uses the IHRA definition to inflate it’s data, creating a false crisis;
- Pro-Israel Lobby like AIPAC utilizes the ADL data to advocate for new legislation to combat antisemitism with Pro-Israel sponsored and funded lawmakers;
- Pro-Israel sponsored and funded lawmakers introduce 5 new Bills to censor speech.
Pro-Israel Sponsored and Funded Lawmakers
It’s not a coincidence that Congressional lawmakers who have sponsored or co-sponsored these five (5) bills are all funded by Israel Lobby members, like AIPAC, and work closely with Pro-Israel organizations like the ADL and the IHRA to draft legislation that benefits Israel. You may think this is a clear conflict of interest and it is, however, it is also legal because of laws like Citizens United that allow obscene amounts of Special Interest Lobby money and influence into politics and legislation. Below are detailed graphics of each bill, the Israel Network members involved, lawmakers sponsoring each bill and their Israel Lobby funding.
100% of lawmakers sponsoring these bills are funded by the Israel Lobby.
- Date Introduced in House: 4/11/2024
- No. of Sponsors: 1
- No. of Co-Sponsors: 4
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funded Sponsors: 5
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funding: $446,879
ANTISEMITISM AWARENESS ACT OF 2023
- Date Introduced in House: 10/26/2023
- No. of Sponsors: 1
- No. of Co-Sponsors: 46
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funded Sponsors: 47
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funding: $9,463,224
- Date Introduced in House: 4/26/2024
- No. of Sponsors: 2
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funded Sponsors: 2
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funding: $1,329,480
- Date Introduced in Senate: 4/9/2024
- No. of Sponsors: 2
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funded Sponsors: 2
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funding: $1,069,667
ENDING SUBSIDIES FOR PRO-TERRORIST ACTIVITIES ON CAMPUS ACT
This Bill was introduced in both the House and the Senate in the same month.
- Date Introduced in Senate: 11/1/2023
- Date Introduced in House: 11/15/2023
- No. of Sponsors: 2
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funded Sponsors: 2
- Pro-Israel Lobby Funding: $1,026,063
GenXGirl @GenXGirl1994 – 2 May 2024