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Just fraction of hundreds of US bills targeting Palestinian rights have become law due to pushback

Only a fraction of the hundreds of bills lawmakers in the US have introduced targeting advocacy for Palestinian rights have become law because of strong grassroots and civil liberties opposition.

Only a fraction of the hundreds of bills lawmakers have introduced targeting advocacy for Palestinian rights have become law because of strong grassroots and civil liberties opposition. This chart illustrates the number of bills and executive orders introduced versus those that are in effect at the state and federal level. It does not include resolutions, affirmative legislation, or local bills.

Bills targeting advocacy for Palestinian rights have proliferated since we began tracking in 2014, and the types of bills introduced have evolved in response to the movement’s victories. Early efforts focused on defunding universities to punish or deter support for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. Subsequent legislative efforts aimed to prohibit state contracts with or state investments in entities that support BDS. More recent legislation aims to redefine antisemitism to include criticism of Israel for use in discrimination complaints or criminal investigations. This chart illustrates the number of state and federal bills and executive orders introduced; it does not include resolutions, affirmative legislation, or local bills.

Types of Laws in Effect

This table illustrates the types of laws (including executive orders) targeting advocacy for Palestinian rights currently in effect at the state level. Given the common backers of the legislation, the laws are very similar across states, but there are important distinctions between different types of legislation and what each law does. Some anti-boycott laws include written certification requirements, mandating that potential contractors pledge not to boycott Israel, and some call on the state to compile public blacklists of entities that boycott for Palestinian rights or support BDS. 

 


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