This commentary is by Habib Meiloud of central Vermont.
I recently read Mark Treinkman’s letter to the editor, “Clearing up misconceptions about H.310,” as a response to my own, titled “Do not support bill H.310.” I would like to clear up some misconceptions about my critique of the bill.
First, the notion that bill H.310 does not mention Israel is incorrect. While it never says it outright, it does allude to it. For example, it includes in the definition of antisemitic harassment with “negative negative references to Jewish customs or the right to self-determination in the Jewish people’s ancestral and indigenous homeland.” The first part on customs is understandable, and I support it wholeheartedly as someone with Jewish ancestors. However, the mention of self-determination is not a protection against antisemitism but rather anti-Zionism.
A part of the “ancestral homeland” of the Jewish people — as mentioned in the bill — is where the Palestinians, both in the West Bank and Gaza, are currently residing, their homes blown away and then re-settled.
I worry that any critique of Israeli settlements in both parts of Palestine will be seen as a “negative reference” to the aforementioned “self-determination” in the ancestral homeland. Perhaps the bill is not malicious, but it is vague and lacks enough nuance that it opens the door for infringement on such a contentious issue.
From my own anecdotal experience, even without this bill, one has to be very careful in how one critiques Israel to a degree that is unique among political discourse. I have no issue bolstering protections against Jewish students against antisemitism; that is what is right. Nobody should suffer attacks against parts of their identity. However, the notion of the Jewish people having the right to self-determination in their “ancestral and indigenous homeland” is inherently political. Instead of stomping out those critiques in schools, we should steer towards teaching our youth to have the maturity to critique ideas instead of people.
Those skills will stop hate; ambiguous legislation will not.
