Commentary (by JB):

Though this columnist seems to think that HR 3077 was passed in 2005, it was actually passed in 2003 -- see this article

Criticising Israel in college campuses could soon become a crime in the US under a law that has already cleared the House of Representatives and is now before a committee of the Senate.

Jewish groups and pro-Israeli lobbyists are the creators of the bill which is yet another affirmation of the strong influence and political clout Israel enjoys in the corridors of power in Washington.

The legislation comes at a time when Americans are becoming increasingly critical of the unstinting support that the US offers Israel at every forum and on every issue. The bill, if passed by the Senate, will lead to creating a federal tribunal to investigate and monitor criticism of Israel on American college campuses. The panel will be empowered to recommend cutting government funding for colleges and universities which are deemed as including in its faculty individuals and academic groups critical of Israel. Campuses are particularly targeted because they produce opinion makers and politicians.

The bill also clears the way to crack down on college and university professors who are critical of Israel. The bill is called HR 3077, the International Studies in Higher Education Act, and was sponsored by Representative Peter Hoekstra, a conservative Republican from Michigan. It was passed by the full House of Representatives on Oct. 21, according to American Free Press, an on-line news agency.