Washington DC

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday (May 1) passed a bill that proposes to expand the federal definition of antisemitism.

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The bill passed the House on Wednesday by a margin of 320 to 91 amid the ongoing anti-war protests unfolding across multiple US university campuses. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

What does it mean?

If the bill were to become law, it would codify a definition of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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The Civil Rights Act bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin.

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According to the reports in the US media, adding IHRA’s definition to the law would allow the Biden administration or any future US president to restrict funding and other resources to campuses perceived as tolerating antisemitism.

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In the current circumstances, this could be used to stifle campus protests against the war in Gaza, which has reportedly claimed the lives of 34,568 Palestinians so far.

What is IHRA's definition of antisemitism?

IHRA’s working definition of 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".

This definition also covers the "targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity".

The definition also bars any comparison between "contemporary Israeli policy" and "that of the Nazis".

The IHRA adopted its current definition of antisemitism in 2016, and its framing has been embraced by the US State Department under President Joe Biden and his two predecessors.

The vote on Wednesday (May 1) comes as anti-war protests sweep across college campuses in the US.

The Biden administration has pledged support for Israel amid mounting humanitarian concerns over its military campaign that began after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1200 people and took over 250 hostages.

(With inputs from agencies)