Washington, DC – J Street opposes the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025 (H.R. 4795), which would condition federal funding on a university’s choices regarding investments, procurement, partnerships, and other institutional activities in Israel and the West Bank.

While we oppose the Global BDS Movement and strongly support academic engagement between American and Israeli institutions, we believe this legislation takes the wrong approach to these issues.

Specifically, the legislation would penalize any institution that chooses to engage in a nonexpressive commercial boycott against Israel and “an entity licensed or regulated by, or organized under the laws of,” Israel, which would include Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

This means infringing on constitutionally protected free speech and academic freedom by penalizing institutions (and thereby unrelated research) for participation in certain boycott or divestment efforts targeted at Israel or Israeli settlements. There is a fundamental distinction between the State of Israel and the territory that it occupies over the Green Line, and penalizing universities for expressing their opposition to activities that further annexation sets a dangerous precedent.

Furthermore, this bill does not keep American Jewish students on campus safe, nor does it address the lived experience of antisemitism that American Jewish students encounter. Instead, by changing US code to to exceptionalize the treatment of Israel at American universities, this bill runs the risk of inflaming antisemitism.

J Street believes the most effective way to counter antisemitism on college campuses is through open debate, education, and renewed efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—not through punitive legislation aimed to curb the freedom to boycott.

We urge Members of Congress to vote against this bill and instead co-sponsor the Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act (H.R. 6806). This bill would implement a whole-of-government approach to fighting antisemitism by funding the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education and mandating the designation of a Title VI coordinator on every college campus in order to provide students with additional resources in hopes of preventing antisemitism and other hate on campus.