Israel and Hamas measures get a look as most US state legislatures meet for first time since Oct. 7

Most U.S. state legislatures will reconvene in January for the first time since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked war in Gaza and protests around the world — and they are preparing to take action in response on it, both symbolically and concretely.

Lawmakers in at least eight states meeting in late 2023 have already condemned the attacks.

“My worldview was shaped by the fact that my ancestors were not protected during the Holocaust, that no one came to their aid,” said Florida Sen. Lori Berman, a Democrat who sponsored a resolution that passed unanimously in her state last month . “Silence and indifference are the reason why bad – evil – can prevail.”

Measures have already been introduced for the 2024 sessions in states from New Hampshire to Tennessee, with more likely to follow.

In the October 7 attack, Hamas killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others hostage. Israel responded with attacks on Gaza, leveling buildings including hospitals, killing more than 19,000 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, and causing 1.9 million Palestinian residents to flee their homes.

Strong emotions about the ongoing war are based on a long history of conflict.

Since October 7, at least 59 Hamas- or Israel-related bills have been introduced in state legislatures. Most are resolutions condemning the attack and supporting Israel.

In states including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, resolutions condemning the attack passed unanimously or nearly unanimously.

Others have different goals: Resolutions in Pennsylvania and Texas would encourage President Joe Biden to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Under a New Jersey bill, the state would reimburse travel expenses for state residents evacuated from Israel during the attack or afterward.

The issue could become more complex as the war continues, with Democrats in some states becoming divided over resolutions.

In Michigan, the Democratic-led state House adjourned their 2023 session without agreeing on a resolution as Arab-American lawmakers refused to support a resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel's response.

Another resolution in Michigan would call on Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib — the only Palestinian American in Congress — to resign over rhetoric widely seen as a call for the eradication of Israel. Her statements have already earned her censure from Congress.

While condemning the attack is a largely popular position, the way the bills do so varies.

During a special session this month, Georgia's House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the attacks. Only two of the 180 representatives voted against the resolution, but 49 did not vote. Among those who did not vote was Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat and the first Muslim woman elected to the House.

She said in an interview that she told the bill's authors that she would have supported it if it had said the state stood with the Israeli people, rather than Israel.

“You cannot ask me to stand behind a country that displaced my grandparents and is now killing people en masse,” Romman said.

Lawmakers are also weighing how to handle protests and Palestinian-oriented events at universities, with some accused of allowing anti-Semitism.

Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania this month rejected legislation to send $33.5 million to the University of Pennsylvania's private veterinary school amid criticism and claims that the university tolerated anti-Semitism.

Indiana Republican House Speaker Todd Huston told his caucus in November that he would prioritize tackling anti-Semitism on college campuses in light of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Indiana House passed a bill during the 2023 legislative session that aimed to define anti-Semitism as religious discrimination and “provide educational opportunities free from religious discrimination.” The bill died in the Senate.

“Our Jewish students need to know that they will be safe on campuses across Indiana and will not be subjected to anti-Semitic teaching or materials,” Huston told colleagues in a speech.

A Florida measure introduced in 2023 would force students at public universities that support Hamas and other groups labeled terrorist organizations to pay out-of-state tuition.

“I saw videos of protests on Florida campuses and wondered, 'How many of these pro-Hamas students chanting for Israel's destruction are taxpayers who are subsidizing with reduced tuition rates?'” the bill's sponsor told me, Republican Senator Blaise Ingoglia, to The Associated Press in an email.

The bill was not introduced in a special session in November, but he said he would bring it back.

A New Jersey measure would target funding for universities, rather than individual students, and would ban them from “endorsing, facilitating, financing or promoting any event or organization that promotes anti-Semitism or hate speech on campus.” otherwise support.” Its sponsor in the Assembly, Republican Alex Sauickie, said he believes the idea can gain the bipartisan support needed to pass a Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Edward Ahmed Michell, the deputy national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said measures restricting speech could be considered unconstitutional and he doesn't expect them to gain traction. He said many of the others, which focus on support for Israel but not for the people of Gaza killed or displaced during the war, are also troubling.

“I understand that state lawmakers want to comment on international incidents that are relevant to their constituents, and that's fine,” said Edward Ahmed Michell, the deputy national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “But they must be morally consistent.”

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Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Isabella Volmert in Indianapolis and Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.

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This article has been corrected to remove North Dakota from the states where measures have been implemented before 2024; a resolution passed there in 2023.