US Congress passes bill punishing universities that boycott Israel

US Congress passes bill punishing universities that boycott Israel MEE staff on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 18:28 The legislation threatens to cut federal aid to universities that engage in any form of boycotts against Israel A pro-Palestinian rally in New York City on 4 October 2025 (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images via AFP) Off The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a Republican-led bill that aims to penalise universities that engage in boycotts of Israel or attempt to prevent students from participating in exchange programmes in Israel. The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act passed by 237 to 169 votes. The act would solely apply to universities that are part of federal student aid programmes. Further, it instructs institutions receiving federal funding for international study and foreign language programmes to verify annually that they do not restrict students participating in programmes in Israel or students from Israel participating in programmes on their campus. Thirty-three Democrats, most of whom are up for re-election and have a history of supporting Israel, went against their party to vote for the bill. Two Republicans opposed. The fate of the bill now depends on a S