The fight against the weaponization of antisemitism and for free speech continues in the Senate. The second bill we wrote to you about, HB1606 – the State House bill intended to codify the IHRA definition is still in play. The State House has sent it over to the Senate where the Rules Committee will be considering it tomorrow. 

As we’ve previously mentioned, HB1606 is the latest in a series of cynical attempts across the country to co-opt the fight against antisemitism and use it instead as a weapon against free speech and to quash legitimate criticism of policies and actions of the Israeli government. Adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism is a prime example of how well-meaning attempts to fight antisemitism can be misappropriated. IHRA and its examples, while on the surface seemingly benign, have been used time and again to codify language that would allow for such weaponization.

Criticizing the policies and actions of the Israeli government is not antisemitic. We must not allow the effort to combat antisemitism to be co-opted by those who wish to stifle this critical speech. Ask your Senator to Oppose HB1606.

For those of us who care about peace between Israel and Palestine, last week was incredibly hard. We are outraged – first by the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh during an IDF incursion in the West Bank town of Jenin, then by the violent attack by Israeli police on her funeral on Friday.

Freedom of the press is of paramount importance, particularly when conflicting narratives and biases often obscure the truth, as is the case in Israel-Palestine. The State Department has called Ms. Abu Akleh’s death “an affront to media freedom.” And while the State Department has made statements supporting a thorough investigation by the Israeli government, this is not enough. Americans for Peace Now has called for a swift and independent investigation of the circumstances that caused her death and now members of Congress, led by Representatives Andre’ Carson and Lou Correa, are requesting the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death as well.

It is important that the United States protect Americans reporting abroad and that includes conducting independent investigations when a journalist is harmed.

Read the full text of the letter here.

The anti-boycott laws pushed by right wing Jewish and evangelical organizations have resulted in a multi-state patchwork of anti-free speech laws that intentionally erase the (green) line between Israel and the occupied territories. While we continue to fight back in the states against these laws, it is vital that we work to prevent similar laws from being enacted at a federal level.

Whether it is in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, or Givat Hamatos, efforts to expel Palestinians from their homes are often painted as mere real estate disputes. The reality is that they are part of a larger effort to change the demographics of Jerusalem as a way to prevent Palestinian claims to a capital in East Jerusalem and to undermine the future of a negotiated two-state solution. 

We at Americans for Peace Now know that fighting against intolerance is an intersectional issue: the struggles against antisemitism and Islamophobia must be fought in unison. Just as other communities show up for us, it is our duty to stand as allies alongside our Muslim friends and neighbors.

We are seeing a rise in Islamophobia in nearly every corner of the globe. Anti-Muslim rhetoric, bigotry and acts of violence have increased as white supremacist and Islamophobic hate group networks have grown in strength and inspired acts of anti-Muslim violence and terrorism, including the murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario over the summer and the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings. 

This anti-Muslim bigotry must end.

That's why Americans for Peace Now is proud to support the Combating International Islamophobia Act, which will require the State Department to create a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Muslim Bigotry. Sponsored by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and modeled on the already existing position of Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, this vital legislation passed the House of Representatives this week. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the Senate companion to the bill on Tuesday.

Sadly yet unsurprisingly, the debate around this bill has been vitriolic. Opponents of the bill have lobbed horrific and false accusations of terrorism and have tried to use unrelated claims about Israel’s security and the threat of antisemitism to push back against this legislation.

We will not let detractors divide or distract us from the real issue at hand.

To see the full text of the legislation, click here.