Washington, DC | www.adc.org | May 4, 2024 – Pro-Palestine protests are continuing to grow, and that is making lawmakers nervous. Over the last month, the unhinged leadership of both parties have capitulated to AIPAC and the ADL by introducing four (4) bills  which curtail the rights of all Americans, two of which have already passed the House and are awaiting a vote in the Senate. Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has been singularly focused on attacking, criminalizing, and demonizing Palestinians and the pro-Palestine movement. Republicans and Democrats alike are willing to take away your rights in this country so they can shield and protect Israel from any criticism or accountability over the ongoing genocide. 

Take Action: Tell Congress to Vote No, Protect our Freedoms!    

ADC National Government Affairs and Advocacy Director Chris Habiby said, “Rather than reckoning with Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza, the US’s complicity in the annihilation of Palestinians, or the clearly documented Israeli system of apartheid, Congress has decided to fixate on dangerous and diversionary bills. ADC is staunchly opposed to every effort which seeks to distract from the ongoing genocide and demonize those taking the principled, moral, human stance against the dispossession and destruction of Palestinians.” 

Members of both the House and the Senate need to hear from their constituents that we see these efforts for what they are – an obvious attempt to avoid Congress’s duty to ensure that the US is not complicit in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Congress must vote NO on all four of these bills to ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected . 

The four bills that attack, criminalize, and demonize Palestinians and the movement are:

• The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act – This bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 6090), and is now in the U.S. Senate. The bill dangerously conflates First Amendment-protected political speech critical of the Israeli government and state with antisemitism. If passed this bill will chill the free speech of all Americans. The House passed this bill and it is now awaiting a vote in the Senate.
• H.R. 6408, Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of “terrorist supporting organizations” – If passed this bill would give a single US official the authority to strip nonprofit organizations of their tax-exempt status with virtually no limitations or accountability, simply because the organizations have viewpoints that official or presidential administration disagrees with.
• H.R. 7914, the Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act – This bill would criminalize Palestinians beyond the State Department’s already politicized Foreign Terrorist Organization process by enacting sanctions against Palestinian organizations that have not been designated a terrorist organization. It would set a precedent that will allow Congress to implement sanctions on organizations that administration officials have not found to meet the criteria for designation.
• H.R. 7921, the Countering Antisemitism Act – This bill would codify and further entrench the narrative that the pro-Palestine movement is responsible for the antisemitism seen in the US. It is a continuation of Congress’s myopic focus on “combating antisemitism” at a time when Arab, and especially Palestinian, Americans are being targeted and attacked across the country.