While anti-Israel protests are happening at college campuses all over the country, legal limitations are stopping universities in Texas from fulfilling protesters’ requests to stop supporting Israel.
Universities in Texas have experienced anti-Israel demonstrations and encampments. The University of Texas campuses in the state have been particularly active, resulting in the arrest of many student protesters and anti-Israel agitators. Austin, Dallas, and Arlington The main demand of the demonstrators, not only in Texas but nationwide, has been for universities to cut financial ties with Israel. But Texas law prohibits such actions.
In 2017, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill against boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) specifically related to Israel, preventing state entities from entering contracts or investing in companies that boycott Israel. demandThe bill, authored by Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) and Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), ensures that state contracts are only given to businesses that declare they will not boycott or divest from Israel during the contract. According to King, Texas’ anti-BDS bill is the strongest in the country.
“In 2016, there was this growing movement of cities, counties, states, nations, and businesses deciding they were going to boycott Israel to try to bankrupt them economically,” King explained to The Dallas Express. The increasing movement led him to create the anti-BDS law. law “Part of the reason was, Texas does a lot of business with Israel,” said King. “They’re our friend, we have a lot of tourists, and they’re one of our largest trade partners. It’s wrong to try to destroy them.”
At the time of signing, Abbott emphasized the long-standing relationship between Israel and Texas, stating, “As Israel’s top trading partner in the United States, Texas is proud to reaffirm its support for the people of Israel, and we will continue to build on our historic partnership.” strongest Abbott also stressed that “anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally.”
In 2021, the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission was established to monitor and combat antisemitism in Texas, using the internationally recognized definition of antisemitism. The commission was prompted by reports of increasing antisemitism on college campuses in Texas.In response to the report, King and Rep. Dennis Paul (R-Houston) proposed a bill to prevent academic boycotts of Israel and other foreign countries at public colleges, unless such measures hinder a student or faculty member from studying, conducting research, or interacting with scholars or representatives of those countries.
The bill specifies that a taxpayer-funded college can only boycott a foreign country if it is listed by the U.S. State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism.
supporter of terrorism
. Currently, only Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria have that label. This started in September 2023. Protesters at UT Arlington have requested their university toschool-run study-abroad trips to Israel. Doing so would come under academic boycotting of Israel and is now against the law.
“I think it’s interesting when I hear the protesters calling for the University of Texas to economically divest from Israel,” King stated to . “They’re not allowed by law to do that. The bottom line is that Texas has made it illegal for state colleges and universities, community colleges, too, to do any economic or academic boycott of Israel, or in any way to promote antisemitism or accept antisemitism on their campus.” After the October terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released an advisory letter emphasizing the importance of opposing antisemitism, as previously definition “Given the recent brutal Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, it is more important than ever to enforce public policy supportive of one of America’s closest allies and a beacon of freedom in the Middle East,” read Paxton’s
“Since 2017, the Texas Legislature has passed, and Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law, a series of restrictions on the ability of Governmental Entities to do business with companies that boycott energy companies, discriminate against firearm entities or associations, or boycott Israel,” he wrote. “Pursuant to these laws, no Texas Governmental Entity may enter into a contract with such boycotters or discriminators for the purchase of goods or services with a value of at least $100,000.”
As anti-Israel demonstrations spread across college campuses nationwide, legal limitations are preventing universities from fulfilling agitators’ demands to divest from Israel in Texas. Universities in the Lone Star State have seen their share of anti-Israel protests and encampments. Most notably, University of Texas campuses in Austin, Dallas, and Arlington have seen considerable activity, leading to the arrest […] bill to prohibit academic boycotts of Israel and other foreign countries at public colleges should they prevent a student or faculty member from studying or conducting research in or about the country or interacting with the country’s scholars or representatives.
The bill states that a taxpayer-funded college is allowed to boycott a foreign country only if it is listed by the U.S. State Department as a sponsor of terrorism. Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria are the only countries currently with that designation. It went into effect in September 2023.
Protesters at UT Arlington have called for their university to ban school-sponsored study-abroad trips to Israel. Doing so would fall under academic boycotting of Israel and is now illegal.
“I think it’s interesting when I hear the protesters calling for the University of Texas to economically divest from Israel,” King told DX. “They’re not allowed by law to do that. The bottom line is that Texas has made it illegal for state colleges and universities, community colleges, too, to do any economic or academic boycott of Israel, or in any way to promote antisemitism or accept antisemitism on their campus.”
Following the October terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released an advisory letter emphasizing the importance of standing against antisemitism, as previously covered by DX.
“Given the recent brutal Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, it is more important than ever to enforce public policy supportive of one of America’s closest allies and a beacon of freedom in the Middle East,” read Paxton’s letter.
“Since 2017, the Texas Legislature has passed, and Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law, a series of restrictions on the ability of Governmental Entities to do business with companies that boycott energy companies, discriminate against firearm entities or associations, or boycott Israel,” he wrote. “Pursuant to these laws, no Texas Governmental Entity may enter into a contract with such boycotters or discriminators for the purchase of goods or services with a value of at least $100,000.”
