New ‘anti-terrorism’ bill could be used to cancel voices who expose Israel’s war crimes in Gaza

(LifeSiteNews) — Zionist influence over the U.S. Congress is on display yet again, critics are arguing, with the House of Representatives’ passage of the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act.

Approved by a 219-184 margin last Thursday along party lines, the measure has activists worried that it will be used to stifle legitimate criticism of Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians.

GOP Congressman Thomas Massie was the lone Republican to oppose the legislation; 15 Democrats voted in its favor.

Among other things, the bill grants the U.S. Treasury Department unilateral authority to strip non-profit groups of their status if it deems them to be a “terrorist supporting organization.”

Anti-war and other voices are concerned that the term is not specific enough and that non-profits that draw attention to Israel’s war crimes in Gaza will be discriminated against.

A letter written by the liberal ACLU and signed by more than 350 other left-wing groups warns that there is “immense” potential for “abuse” under the bill is immense as it would “grant the executive branch extraordinary power to investigate, harass, and effectively dismantle any non-profit organization – including news outlets, universities, and civil liberties organizations like ours.”

“We think this legislation is an overreach,” Jenn Holcomb, vice president of government affairs at the Council on Foundations, has also said.

The Times of Israel is reporting that more than 55 U.S.-based Jewish groups are also opposed to the bill, which was introduced by two Jewish Congressmen after the October 7 attacks in Israel last year. The measure is backed by the powerful American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and the anti-Christian Anti-Defamation League.

A previous version of the bill sailed through the House in April by a vote of 382-11 as pro-Palestinian protests were being held on college campuses, giving added political momentum to its passage.

“This bill is a crucial step towards dismantling the financial networks of terrorist organizations across the globe, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” GOP Rep. David Kustoff said of his bill.

It is not readily known if the measure will be approved in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where its previous iteration failed to garner enough support. President Donald Trump previously promised to tackle “anti-Semitism” during his first week in office.

In a press release Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.” Even Pope Francis has called for an investigation of whether or not genocide has been committed.

In recent days, U.S. lawmakers from both parties, but especially AIPAC-backed Republican Senators like Lindsey Graham, have ridiculed the ruling, going so far as to demand that the U.S. sanction European allies that support the ICC’s determination.